How Does Smart City Brake Support Work?

There is no doubt that vehicle safety has been serious point of emphasis for automakers—particularly in the last 10 to 15 years. Of course, this isn’t to say that safety has not always been a top priority. It is to say, however, that the changing state of automotive technology has allowed manufacturers to devote more thought and more resources to vehicle safety than ever before. The steady string of TV commercials highlighting lane departure warnings and forward collision alerts makes this abundantly clear.

The first phase of Mazda’s Smart City Brake Support readies the calipers to engage the rotors at a moment’s notice.

As an automaker committed to driver-friendly technology, Mazda maintains a suite of advanced vehicle safety features. Among those is Smart City Brake Support, a driver assistance control that engages when a potential collision is detected. While this tells drivers when the technology is designed to work, the question “How does Smart City Brake Support work?” remains to be answered.

Shown in the clip above, vehicles equipped with Smart City Brake Support are designed with a near-infrared laser that emanates through the windshield from the base of the rearview mirror. This laser and the systems it controls are key components in understanding the answer to the question “How does Smart City Brake Support work?”

Once the laser detects a collision situation, Smart City Brake Support initiates the first of its two phase process. Phase one readies the brakes to compress quickly and with adequate strength. This allows drivers to manage the situation themselves by braking or steering away from the obstruction. If neither of those two actions are taken, Smart City Brake Support enters phase two which engages the brakes automatically and reduces engine output.

As with any vehicle safety feature, Mazda’s lineup of active measures is meant to assist the attentive driver and not to replace any responsibilities in watching the road. That said, it is comforting to know that advanced technology is there to assist when unavoidable circumstances arise. For more answers to questions like “How does Smart City Brake Support work?,” continue to follow the blog at Mazda of Lodi.