General Motors has announced a new safety feature that is designed to protect the driver in the event of an uncommon, but still dangerous, type of collision.
GM says that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does not yet test vehicles for "far-side side impacts," in which the car is hit from the passenger side. While safety tests obviously check for the damage to passengers in these types of crashes, the driver is generally assumed to be fine from where they are situated.
Yet these impacts account for 11 percent of driver deaths. GM is looking to change that with a new type of airbag that deploys from the interior of the vehicle, in the space between the passenger and driver. The bag will cushion the driver in these types of collisions, reports Motor Trend.
GM says that the new airbag will be standard on the 2013 Buick Enclave, and will be an option on the Chevrolet Traverse and GMC Acadia.
Safety features like this can help in the event of a collision, but the best way to prevent accident injuries is to avoid them entirely. Keeping up with auto maintenance and checking critical parts such as the brakes and tires can help ensure that drivers do not get into a collision due to any mechanical failures.