What Is Chevy Safety Assist, And How Does It Work?

When shopping for a new car, consumers will need to answer a few vital questions as they try to determine which vehicle best suits their needs. Typically, factors like size, speed, and style place fairly high on any list of deciding factors. These days, it's safe to assume that vehicle safety likely places near the top, too. The good news for safety-first minded buyers is that automobiles are, arguably, safer than they've ever been. In fact, technological advances make them safer with every model year, even as some of those advanced features have proven expensive to repair.

With some Chevrolet drivers debating the cost and merit of long-time safety features like OnStar, the manufacturer has further bolstered its vehicle's safety credentials by adding several tech-enabled features. Today, more Chevys than ever are coming equipped with sensors, cameras, and warning features designed to prevent accidents. There are so many new features that it can be hard for some to figure out which their car, truck, or SUV actually uses. Perhaps in a move to simplify matters, Chevy has begun packaging six key safety features into a single system, which it's calling Chevy Safety Assist.

The current features included in the Chevy Safety Assist package are automatic braking, front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist, forward collision alert, following distance indicator, and the Intellibeam lighting system. If you're interested in Chevy Safety Assist, you'll be happy to know it's available for most Chevy models. 

If you're curious as to how the features in the Chevy Safety Assist system work, each is connected in some fashion to a sensor or camera in your vehicle and automatically reacts to any situation in which a vehicle might be in danger of some exterior calamity. That includes sounding an alarm or automatically adjusting a vehicle's movement to prevent collisions with other autos and even pedestrians. Here's a look at what each feature in the Chevy Safety Assist does.

To be clear, the names of each system are pretty self-explanatory. For instance, the Automatic Braking System works in conjunction with sensors connected to the Forward Collision Alert to help prevent, or at least limit, the potential impact of a front end collision. Front Pedestrian Braking essentially utilizes the same sensors and cameras to help ensure drivers do not threaten pedestrians who may be walking in the street ahead. Meanwhile, Lane Keep Assist uses sensors designed to alert drivers when they are drifting out of their lane via a gentle, automatic turn of the steering wheel.

As for the Following Distance Indicator, it uses sonar-like sensors to judge the distance between your vehicle and the car ahead of you, providing precise gap times that should help you discern whether you're following too closely. Finally, Chevy's Intellibeam system uses sensors to adjust a vehicle's high beam headlight settings when it detects on-coming headlights or taillights from a vehicle ahead. Needless to say, such features could not only save your life, but help prevent a pricey repair bill when utilized properly.