The new Ford Focus has an astonishing Low Speed Safety System. Its purpose is to avoid, or reduce the severity of, low speed impacts. Let's consider an example. Fred the Ford lover is cruising through town at less than 10mph. Mounted behind his rear-view mirror is a forward-facing infrared laser. Sounds very Star Trek. This feature continuously monitors the distance to the vehicle ahead and calculates the Focus' stopping distance.
So, imagine Fred is distracted. The car in front stops suddenly but Fred continues at the same speed. The new Ford Focus then automatically releases the throttle and applies the brakes. As such the collision is avoided. The Low Speed Safety System works between 10 and 20mph too - but may be unable to avoid collisions at these speeds. That said, it still slows the car enough to minimise damage which is a partial 'get out of jail free' card.
There are thousands of minor impacts every year in slow moving traffic. After all, it is easy to lose concentration while crawling forwards. Vehicle damage is often fairly superficial, but the high cost of repair means many low-value cars are scrapped. The new Ford Focus' Low Speed Safety System helps avoid this misery. It is a fantastic feature and yet another reason to buy this small family workhorse. Prices range from £16,000 to £25,100.