Safety shouldn’t have to cost a fortune

Driving is an exercise that most of us take for granted. But, with the complexities of navigating a car on crowded roads, how often have we joked that modern workplace safety protocols would see driving banned were it invented today? 

This is a roundabout way of emphasising why the latest driver safety technology should be a priority when choosing your next new vehicle.

And the good news is cutting-edge driving aids are no longer a privilege reserved for luxury car buyers. Indeed, thanks to MG Pilot, the latest active safety technology is available to buyers of MG Motor’s affordable family-sized SUVs including the MG HS, MG ZST and the fully-electric MG ZS EV.

Think of MG Pilot as an invisible safety net that uses the latest innovative automotive technology to assist and protect you and your passengers. 

According to the AAMI Crash Index statistics, the most common motor vehicle insurance claims come from simple nose-to-tail bingles in heavy traffic. There’s also a high percentage of single vehicle crashes on curves. 

The active and passive technologies incorporated in MG Pilot can help prevent or reduce the severity of crashes in both these scenarios. 

Here’s a simple and non-jargon-filled run-down of the safety systems that make up MG Pilot, how they operate and why it’s critical to have them in your next new car.

This is commonly referred to as autonomous emergency braking or by its acronym AEB. Essentially, AEB uses an array of forward-facing cameras and radar sensors that constantly monitor the distance to vehicles ahead. 

In the event of a vehicle slowing down quickly or cutting in front and the driver not recognising it fast enough, MG Pilot’s computer system will, firstly, send a visual and audible warning to alert the driver and then automatically apply the brakes to prevent – or, at the very least, limit – the severity of an impact.

Where AEB is always on, Adaptive Cruise Control needs to be manually activated by the driver and, as its name suggests, is an extension of a conventional cruise control system that allows the vehicle to maintain a safe distance at a set speed.

Adaptive Cruise Control uses the same camera and radar technology to monitor the traffic ahead and will gently decelerate your vehicle when approaching slower-moving traffic. For example, if you set the speed to remain at 110km/h while on the freeway and a vehicle in the same lane ahead of you is travelling at 104km/h, MG Pilot will automatically reduce your speed to the same velocity until you either switch into a clear adjacent lane or the vehicle ahead changes lane or accelerates.

Traffic Jam Assist takes the Adaptive Cruise Control concept to a new level when commuting in heavy bumper-to-bumper traffic.

When you’re moving and have the Adaptive Cruise Control activated, it will continue to maintain a safe distance to the vehicle ahead. But it will also bring you to a complete standstill if the traffic grinds to a halt and then automatically slowly accelerate when traffic starts to move again.

While Traffic Jam Assist’s primary function is to maintain occupant safety, it’s a convenience that also reduces driver fatigue and frustration of being stuck in a traffic jam, allowing you to arrive at your destination safely and less stressed. 

Australian roads, both in the city and country, are littered with variable speed changes. Arguably, there’s nothing more frustrating than copping an unnecessary fine if you missed a change in the limit because you didn’t see the sign. 

MG Pilot offers an extra set of eyes through its Intelligent Speed Limit Assist function. The high-resolution camera mounted in front of the rear-view mirror on the windscreen is programmed to recognise both digital and physical Australian speed limit signs and conveniently displays the limit on the instrument cluster in front view of the driver. It will also recognise temporary speed limit signs often found around road works. 

Many accidents in Australia occur when a vehicle is travelling too quickly through a corner. With Lane Keeping Assist, that scenario – as well as wandering into another lane while driving in heavy traffic – can be easily prevented by automatically keeping the vehicle within the white lines.

Lane Keeping Assist uses the high-resolution camera to read the road ahead, and in combination with Adaptive Cruise Control, will slow the vehicle down to an appropriate speed and then guide the driver through the corner via gentle inputs in the steering wheel. 

Lane Keeping Assist performs the same function on a straight road, ensuring the vehicle stays within the lane to prevent accidently wandering into adjacent lanes.

While this is not the autonomous, hands-free autopilot-type system that has often been touted for vehicles of the future, it is a technology that provides a helping hand for drivers here and now.

Unless you have eyes in the back of your head, it’s almost impossible to see everything around you when on the road. Even with the three conventional rear-view mirrors adjusted correctly, most vehicles have blind spots – areas in your vision that may be partially blocked.

With MG Pilot’s Blind Spot Detection function, those blank areas are filled in by a series of rearward-facing ultrasonic sensors that can detect when a vehicle is approaching from behind and alerts the driver through a visual warning in the respective left or right exterior mirror. 

This system virtually widens your field of view and makes changing lanes less of a lottery and much safer, particularly at highway speeds.

Another critical scenario where your vision is often blocked is reversing out of a busy car park – especially one that is crowded by large SUVs and high-riding utes.

With Rear Cross Traffic Alert, MG Pilot utilises the ultrasonic sensors at the back of the vehicle that can register whether a vehicle is approaching from either side and alerts the driver of a potential collision.

Driving at night already requires focus, and constantly flicking the high beams on for better vision and then off again (to prevent dazzling oncoming traffic) saps some of that attention.

With Intelligent Headlamp Control, MG Pilot automatically controls the headlamp brightness and lets the driver get on with the task at hand. 

Intelligent Headlamp Control uses the high-resolution camera and sensors to monitor the level of light and will automatically activate the high beams when it senses the environment is too dark for regular headlamps. Subsequently, it will also switch off the high beams when it detects a vehicle travelling towards you.

So, there you go, an overview of the key functions in MG Pilot, and why you should consider these driver safety technologies when choosing your next vehicle.

Many of these systems have previously been the domain of expensive European badges, but MG Pilot changes that. In fact, MG Pilot is fitted as standard equipment from the base variant on the MG HS, the all-new MG ZST and MG Motor’s first fully-electric MG ZS EV. 

Checkout the MG Motor Australia website for more information on MG Pilot.