Glossary of safety terms
The abbreviations on window stickers and in owners’ manuals, each in a sentence or two.
A
- ABS
- Anti-lock braking system. Stops the wheels locking under hard braking so you can still steer.
- ACC
- Adaptive cruise control. Holds a set speed and slows to keep a gap behind the vehicle ahead.
- ADAS
- Advanced driver assistance systems. The umbrella term for features that warn or help the driver, such as the ones on this site.
- AEB
- Automatic emergency braking. Brakes the car when a forward collision looks close and the driver has not reacted.
B
- BSM / BSD
- Blind spot monitoring or detection. Lights a symbol when a vehicle is in the zone beside you.
- Brake assist
- Adds braking force when the system senses an emergency stop but the pedal is not pressed hard enough.
C
- Calibration
- Lining up a camera or radar after a repair or windshield replacement so it measures accurately.
E
- ESC
- Electronic stability control. Brakes individual wheels to stop a slide and keep the car on the line you steer.
F
- FCW
- Forward collision warning. A sound or light that tells you the gap ahead is closing too fast.
L
- LCA
- Lane centering assist. Steers continuously to keep the car in the middle of its lane.
- LDW
- Lane departure warning. Alerts you when the car drifts toward a lane line without the turn signal on.
- LKA
- Lane keeping assist. Makes a small steering correction to bring the car back inside its lane.
O
- OCS
- Occupant classification system. Sensors in the front passenger seat that decide whether that airbag should be ready.
P
- PAEB
- Pedestrian automatic emergency braking. AEB that also responds to people on foot, and on some cars to cyclists.
- Pretensioner
- A device that pulls a seat belt tight in the first instant of a crash.
R
- Radar
- A sensor that sends out radio waves and times their return to measure distance and speed.
- RCTA
- Rear cross traffic alert. Warns of vehicles approaching from the side while you reverse.
S
- SRS
- Supplemental restraint system. The airbags and the parts that control them.
T
- TCS
- Traction control system. Limits wheel spin when accelerating on slippery ground.
- TPMS
- Tire pressure monitoring system. Warns when one or more tires are under-inflated.
U
- Ultrasonic sensor
- The round discs in a bumper that time echoes of high-pitched sound to measure the gap to an obstacle.
Y
- Yaw sensor
- Measures how fast the car is rotating, so stability control can tell when it is starting to spin.
