State of the art vehicle safety technology and innovation is constantly improving.

CVMA member companies are committed to enhancing the safety of vehicles through development and delivery of world-class advanced safety technologies across a wide range of vehicles.

Motor vehicle safety standards in both Canada and the US are among the most stringent in the world. Our automotive industry is highly integrated on a North American basis as is our economies. Ensuring a regulatory framework that supports the ability to manufacture a product that can be sold and certified once across the North American market provides greater efficiencies for manufacturers and real safety benefits to consumers. The acquired economies of scale provides Canadians more ready access to the most sophisticated, world class technology and exhaustively tested vehicles, with greater vehicle choice at an affordable price.

Significant advances in safety technology have been made both voluntarily by industry and in response to government regulation. The introduction of vehicle safety technologies has been a primary reason for significant reductions in severe occupant injuries and fatalities across Canada. 

Vehicle manufacturers are continually innovating and developing new safety system technologies and refining existing technologies to assist drivers before, during, and after a vehicle crash.

Vehicle Crash avoidance and driver assist

The auto industry is working to assist drivers in avoiding crashes. Technologies in vehicles work together before a potential crash by assisting the driver in controlling the vehicle or alerting the driver to potential risks. Examples of crash avoidance and driver assist technologies available in vehicles include:

  • electronic stability control (ESC)
  • adaptive cruise control (No change required to the French version)
  • forward collision warning
  • automatic emergency braking (AEB) (Freinage d’urgence automatique (FUA)
  • lane keeping systems
  • blind spot monitoring
  • cross traffic detection
  • park assist
  • rearview cameras
  • curve control

Crashworthiness and occupant protection during a vehicle crash

State of the art technology and vehicle design is employed by the auto industry to protect occupants in the event of a crash. Examples include:

  • advanced materials to enhance crash energy mitigation
  • active airbag technologies throughout the vehicle and deployment strategies
  • energy absorbing crumple zones
  • fire protection
  • seatbelts and anchor technologies
  • padded instrument panels

After a vehicle crash response

In-vehicle emergency systems are available to assist in alerting emergency responders of a crash and the location of the vehicle. This can include:

  • automatic crash notification to emergency responders
  • automatic activation of headlamps and emergency flashers
  • automatic unlocking of vehicle doors

The auto industry continues to develop world-class safety features involving engineering analyses, extensive computer modeling, and vehicle crash testing to evaluate the performance of vehicle and its individual components. State-of-the-art computer simulations have been statistically correlated and validated to physical testing allowing accurate and detailed study of the dynamics of vehicle and occupant interactions during a collision. The knowledge acquired is used to facilitate the development and faster introduction of improved safety technologies in vehicles.

Vehicle Recalls