There was a time when ABS and a couple of airbags was all a car needed to be considered safe. Today, however, things have changed radically: not only have Euro NCAP and NHTSA crash tests forced manufacturers to create much safer vehicles, but they’ve also resulted in the addition of not just passive, but active safety systems as well.
Mazda for example, had developed a new system that helps distracted drivers avoid frontal collisions at slow speeds. It’s called called the Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) and it will be available in the new CX-5 compact crossover.
The system, which operates at speeds from 4 to 30 km/h (3 to 19 mph), uses a windshield-mounted laser sensor to detect any obstacle in front of the vehicle and automatically reduces the brake rotor travel, to minimize brake activation.
In the event that the driver does not apply the brakes, the system then automatically activates the CX-5’s braking system and reduces the engine’s output, helping avoid or, at least, lessen the effects of a collision.
Mazda’s automatic braking system also incorporates a feature called Acceleration Control for Automatic Transmission, which does not allow unintentional acceleration in case the driver presses the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.
You can watch the system in action in the video that follows below.
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