Consumer Safest Car Seat
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How to Use a Car Seat Properly
Consumer Safest Car Seat
Check for these 5 Safety Features Before You Buy
When shopping for a new car there are many features you will want to look at before you decide to buy; how the car drives, the standard and optional features available, perhaps the available technology and of course the safety. There are several factors to consider when looking a vehicle’s overall safety. Air bags are not the only important feature.
1. Crash-Test Ratings. Both the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the government’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put every vehicle through rigorous crash-tests to identify how safe the vehicle is. The IIHS puts vehicles through three different tests to determine the vehicles stability and occupant protection. They test the vehicle in a 40 mph frontal offset crash, side crash and rear crash. Cars tested by the IIHS are also given rollover ratings and bumper evaluations. Each year a Top Safety Pick list is put together by the IIHS and vehicles on this list are by the far the safest on the roads.
The NHTSA puts all vehicles through similar tests to test the vehicles structure and ability to protect its occupants. The NHTSA uses a full frontal and side impact test and scores the vehicles on a five-star scale, with fewer starts indicating a probability of serious injury. The full frontal tests is a good indicator of how well the seat belts and air bags protect passengers in the vehicle.
2. Accident avoidance. Today’s technology equips vehicles with multiple features that can aid in accident avoidance. When searching for a new car it’s important to check that the car is equipped with this different safety features.
Electronic stability control (ESC) is designed to help drivers maintain vehicle control on its intended path during sharp turns to prevent it from sliding or skidding. The IIHS estimates if all vehicles had electronic stability control up to 10,000 lives could be saved annually. ESC is a helpful feature on all vehicles but especially in SUVs that are easier to rollover, and rollover resistance is another safety feature to keep in mind when shopping. To help consumers determine the vehicles rollover resistance the NHTSA performs a rollover test and scores vehicles with a Rollover Resistance Rating. This rating calculates the vehicle’s static stability factor, a number based on the vehicles center of gravity and width. This rating combined with a dynamic rollover test performed with moving vehicles can tell consumers how likely a vehicle is to rollover.
An anti-lock braking system is standard on almost all vehicles today due to its importance during emergency stops. ABS will prevent a driver from losing control and allowing the car to swerve during a panic stop. This feature is very helpful in avoiding rear end crashes
3. Air bags. All new passenger vehicles are required to have dual front air bags; but the sophistication of these systems can vary. When searching for new cars look for vehicles that have a “smart” air bag system. These systems use factors such as position of the seat, severity of the crash and weight of the seat occupants. Based on these factors the air bags will deploy with more or less force or not at all if there is no passenger or the front passenger is too short. Side curtain airbags are also becoming more popular in new vehicles. These air bags deploy from the headliner and covers both the front and rear windows. These airbags help in protecting the head during a crash.
4. Child safety. All cars today come with a universal system called LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) which is designed to make attachment of child seats easier and more secure. When looking at new cars make sure to test your current child seat in the vehicle and find a vehicle that is compatible with your child’s seat. Another factor to consider in child safety is power windows. There have been instances where children have activated the power window while leaning out of it and have been injured or killed. The best types of switches are ones that are flush with the surrounding trim and only raise the window when pulled up.
5. Head restraints. Whip-lash is a very common injury during a rear end collision and head restraints are vital for guarding against this. The proper height of a head restraint should be tall enough to cushion the head just above the top of the spine. Look for head restraints that lock in position; otherwise those that don’t could be forced down in a crash and lose effectiveness.
Now that you know what you are looking for, identifying the safety features and capabilities of any car should be much easier.
About the Author
Al Wannstadt works as a freelance writer and marketer for companies like CarLocate, a web car listing service with new and used cars for sale. They are located at www.carlocate.com. When he is off the clock, Al writes about and stays up to date on the latest marketing innovations, and follows the latest news about the automotive industry and cars.
07 Toyota Camry
Customers looking for the most stylish car on the market probably won’t be too interested in the 2007 Toyota Camry, but those who need reliability and quality will do well with this car. Known as “America’s best selling sedan” it enjoys the privilege of being one of the most trusted cars on the market. Toyota offers great fuel economy and solid performance in the Camry. Areas where the car excels is spaciousness on the inside, rather large engines, and optional hybrid engines that are already known for reliability. The fact there are no automatic transmissions offered on V6 models may be a turn off for some buyers.
For ’07 the Camry has been entirely remodeled and the benefits of this revamp include a larger interior, more luxury amenities, and a powerful V6 engine that is a class leader. The family sedan category may be one of the most competitive, and the Camry is certainly able to hold it’s own. Competitors like the Honda Accord and Hyundai Elantra are however worthy adversaries in their own rights. Trim packages offered for the 2007 Toyota Camry include CE, LE, SE, and XLE. CE models constitute the basic package and offer only a few power accessories. The standard equipment for a CE include 16 inch wheels, power windows, AC, tilt steering wheels, and a CD player. The LE models upgrade to power driver seats, remote keyless entry, and other optional items if equipped.
SE models are more sports like and have a nicely tuned suspension system that offers solid performance. A JBL sound system that has tech gadget connectivity is also standard along with moon roofs, wood interior accents, rear seats that can recline, dual zone climate controls, and leather upholstery. For the optimal in style and comfort, Toyota offers the XLE trim packages. These come with navigation systems, heated front seats, and safety features like stability control. There are enough options available to make this car highly customizable.
The engines offered include the usual 4 cylinder options of years past, along with the all new V6 engine. The V6 engine is capable of 268 horsepower that bumps the car into the sports and performance category. The highest end models are more closely related to luxury style cars than ever before, yet remain very affordable.
Safety is another area that the 2007 Toyota Camry tends to be a class leader. Each model comes with 7 airbags as standard equipment. That include dual front airbags, full length side curtain airbags, driver knee airbags, and front seat side airbags. Compliment these safety features with the comfortable interior and you have a car that is not only fun to drive, but very safe as well. In crash test ratings the Camry did more than decent and proved itself one of the safest cars on the market.
With the new suspension system customers will notice that these vehicles handle a lot more sportier than ever before. That’s not to say however that it isn’t a very pleasant and easy driving car. The car handles nimbly in both highway and city conditions. Consumers who don’t want to shell out the money for a luxury car can get pretty darn close to the same quality in a Toyota Camry. There is still something for everybody from budget minded individuals to those who want more out of their family sedan.
About the Author
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