Semiconductor Shortages are Chipping Away at Car Safety Features

For good reason people love the new car safety features that help them back up merge more safely. But the ongoing semiconductor chip shortage may have some new car buyers once again looking over their shoulders. In light of today's ongoing semiconductor chip shortage, some car manufacturers are looking for corners to cut. Josh Zuber from Texas AAA: "The semiconductor shortage is impacting nearly every aspect of the automobile industry - including vehicle safety systems."

For example, Volkswagen and Cadillac are currently not offering blind spot monitors. Zuber is sympathetic with new car buyers who are already having a hard time buying a vehicle. Zuber saying: "Inventory is also quite limited --- so if at all possible, it might be better to buy when inventories improve."

Highway safety experts say the blind spot monitoring and cross-traffic alert systems can each cut crashes by over 20%. Both are not regulation and could be cut. Zuber sums it up this way. "Consumers who are in the market for buying a new vehicle should do their own research for how this shortage may concern their purchase." The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety finding those systems can reduce injurious collisions by over 20%.

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