Advanced safety features finally get standard names

Buying a car involves making lots of decisions.

Settling on the right model, getting financing, even picking a color.

But what about those advanced safety features that could save your life?

As Consumer Reports reveals, confusion about the names of those systems and how they work
only adds to what many shoppers say is an unpleasant experience.

Currently, 93 percent of new vehicles offer at least one advanced safety system, such as
automatic emergency braking or blind spot warning.

But AAA research shows that consumers may encounter as many as 20 different names for the same advanced safety feature.

Take blind spot warning, for example. Honda calls its version Blind Spot Information System.

Toyota calls it Blind Spot Monitor, and on some GM models it’s called Lane Change Alert.

If they were all called the same thing, consumers would know what they were getting.

There’s some good news for consumers.

In January, the Department of Transportation endorsed Consumer Reports’ list of proposed standardized names.

While this doesn’t mean that automakers will be forced to use the new names, Consumer Reports says it’s a step in the right direction.

The next step is for all automakers to make these critical safety technologies standard for every
vehicle they make.

But until then, you can check out Consumer Reports’ Car Safety & Efficiency page to see a list of all available vehicle safety features and what each one does.

If you’re in the market for a new car, Consumer Reports strongly recommends looking for one with automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, and
blind spot warning.