Subaru Safety Technology

 Year after year, Subaru models have earned a reputation from both the industry and consumers themselves for being an automaker where safety is a top priority. And apparently, Subaru has found the perfect formula of design, features, and technology to make their vehicles some of the safest on the market. Most recently, Subaru of America, Inc. has been recognized as the only manufacturer whose vehicles were all awarded the 2010 "Top Safety Pick" by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS). IIHS provides consumers with vehicle safety information using a four-level rating system. The "Top Safety Pick" award recognizes vehicles that, in IIHS testing, do the best job of protecting people in the front, side, rear, and now rollover crashes. Below is an overview of Subaru's safety systems that, while each being important on their own, work hand in hand to make extremely safe vehicles.

Structure Engineering

 Keeping the passenger area intact in the event of an impact is the highest of all safety priorities. Subaru builds each of its vehicles with a Ring-shaped Reinforcement Frame. This frame is designed and fortified to withstand tremendous force in order to maintain structural integrity during a collision and help shield occupants from the worst of the impact. What's more, its unique design diverts that dangerous impact energy away from occupants to further protect them in a collision. Subaru reinforces the key structural elements of its vehicles by building them with the most durable high-tensile steel. Nearly 40% of the Ring-shaped Reinforcement Frame is constructed of high-tensile steel. In an accident an array of sensors can deploy any one or more of the six airbags to provide all-over protection for the driver, front passenger and outboard rear passengers. The Outback, Forester and Tribeca also feature a rollover sensor to ensure the side-curtain airbags are properly deployed if a rollover occurs. Another design element that makes Suabru's safer is its placement of the engine.  If you're caught in an accident and you collide with something from the front, your own engine can pose a serious danger to you and your passengers. The engine block can be sent backward, to the point that it begins to enter the cabin area. But the Subaru Boxer engine is placed lower in the body, and because it has a lower profile, it's less likely to be pushed into a position where it would begin to harm the vehicle's occupants. What's more, the engine is mounted to the frame in such a way that it will tend to move away from the passenger area of the vehicle.

Child Safety Features

 Subaru models are extremely popular for families. Subaru has spent time to focus on the safety of young passengers, and include features designed especially to protect them. With rear Child-Safety Door Locks, a quick flip of a switch and either or both of the inside rear door exit handles will be disabled so that children will not be unable to accidentally open the door from the inside. To prevent trunk entrapment every Subaru with an enclosed trunk area receives an extra dose of safety with the Internal Child-Safety Trunk Release. If someone is trapped in the trunk, they simply have to pull the self-illuminating handle from the inside and the trunk opens. The LATCH system found in the rear seats of all Subaru models is compatible with virtually every up-to-date child car seat. It allows you to secure the seat at two fixed anchor points placed low and built right into the frame of the vehicle's rear seat. Creating a tight and secure connection you can rely on to keep the child safety seat in place. When a young passenger must sit in the front, Subaru has the answer to prevent airbag injury. An optional sensor in the front seat can determine whether it's an adult or a child sitting there. If it detects that either the seat is unoccupied or occupied by a child, it will disable the front airbag, thereby avoiding any harm it could possibly do.

Seeing Clearly

Every Subaru is designed for excellent visibility; in addition technologies like the rear vision camera and Daytime Running Lights (DRL) improve your view of the outside world even more. Vehicles are built with generously sized windows and clear lines of sight, so you'll be able to clearly see out of the vehicle and stay aware of your surroundings on all sides. With rear vision camera, the locations of any obstacles that may be directly behind are displayed clearly on the navigation screen.  Daytime Running Lights -- standard on every Subaru -- are on whenever your headlights are off, and can significantly increase the likelihood of you being noticed by other drivers, even in full daylight. Furthermore, the Tire Pressure Monitoring System found on every Subaru helps you stay aware of potential dangers that might come from under-inflated tires. It continually monitors your tire pressure and lets you know immediately if the pressure drops below an acceptable level.

Staying in Control

A major component to staying safe is staying in control.  Every Subaru is designed with technologies and designs to achieve a level of control that set them apart from other manufacturers. One key aspect of control is traction means control. Because you never know when or where you are going to encounter those hazards, it's essential that you have maximum traction at all times and in all conditions. Subaru Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive continually sends power to each of your wheels all the time, and reacts quickly to any slippage to ensure that no matter where you are, you can feel that you can rely on your vehicle. Another technology Subaru uses is VDC electronic stability control. This is an automatic system that can intervene to help you keep your vehicle on the path you intend. The system uses multiple sensors around your vehicle to monitor its trajectory, and your steering and braking input. If it detects your vehicle deviating from the path you're sending it on, it kicks in. It can then apply the brakes to individual wheels and redistribute engine power to help you correct your course. Subaru vehicles with the 5-speed automatic transmission feature the enhanced Variable Torque Distribution (VTD) all-wheel drive system. When you're driving under normal conditions, this advanced system distributes 45% of engine power to the front wheels, and 55% to the rear wheels. This rear-wheel bias gives you a sporty feel for engaging driving. Should you encounter slippage in either the front or rear wheels, VTD dynamically redistributes torque away from the slipping wheels and to the wheels that have traction, which helps your Subaru keep a solid grip of the road even in challenging road conditions.

 Subaru Braking Power

You never know when danger will suddenly appear in front of you, whether you are going at highway speeds, or lower speeds through the city or a neighborhood.  This is why braking abilities in a vehicle is so important. Subaru incorporates multiple levels of advanced braking technology that enhance not only the effectiveness and reliability of your brakes, but also help ensure that you're able to maintain full control of your vehicle when braking. No matter how powerful your brakes are, they can't help you if your tires lock up and you lose traction. The Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) found on every Subaru monitors your wheels for lock up, and if it's detected, it pulses braking power -- more rapidly than humanly possible -- to help you maintain directional stability of the vehicle. The EBD system found on every Subaru closely monitors your vehicle when you're braking heavily and then dynamically reapportions braking force front to rear depending on where you need it to help you maintain vehicle stability or control during moderate to severe braking applications. One top technology Subaru uses for braking is Brake Assist.Because the human body is only able to react so fast, Brake Assist -- standard on every Subaru -- monitors the speed with which you apply to the brake pedal. If it senses you are in a panic-braking situation, it helps ensure that the brakes are fully engaged immediately. Acting more quickly that you might be able to on your own, Brake Assist avoids situations that a driver can't.