When you’re on the road, the objective is to get from Point A to Point B as quickly and safely as possible. Magnets are constantly working to ensure that happens. In fact, three of the most important safety features on a car — seatbelts, the Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS), and your brake lights — rely on magnets to keep you and your passengers safe. Magnets Alert You When Your Seat Belt Isn’t Fastened Have you ever started to drive without putting on your seat belt? Most of us have forgotten a time or two. These days though, if you don’t click it, you’ll receive a warning from a flashing light or audible beep. That alert system is all thanks to a reed switch sensor tucked behind your seat belt latch. It works in tandem with a magnet inside the seat belt tongue.  If you haven’t heard of a reed switch, know that it’s typically a combination of two ferromagnetic electrical connectors spaced a small distance apart. In the presence of a magnetic field (like the one inside the seat belt tongue), the reeds connect, closing the circuit. When the circuit isn’t closed, the alarm system activates, resulting in that irritating (but effective) beep. Magnets Make ABS Possible In past blogs, we’ve described how magnets are crucial when it comes to stopping tractor trailers traveling at high speeds on highways. It turns out they’re just as useful to stop your average sedan. The secret is in your ABS, which is responsible for keeping your brakes from locking up and causing you to skid out of control. As you might have guessed, reed switches play a major role in this scenario, too. Magnets are attached to each wheel on your car. With every rotation, the magnets pass a mounted reed switch. By registering how many times the circuit in the switch closes, your on-board computer determines the speed of your spinning wheels. If you stomp on the brakes and the computer determines one wheel is spinning faster than another, more hydraulic oil is fed into that brake, causing it to slow and granting you more control over the car. Magnets Alert Others When You’re Braking Your brake lights alert those around you that you’re slowing down or that there may be a potential hazard ahead.  It’s crucial for these lights to illuminate the moment you press on the brakes. The person behind you needs a warning and every possible chance to avoid a collision. Yet again, magnets and reed switches provide a solution. When you press on the brakes, a magnet installed behind your pedal triggers a reed switch, causing an electrical signal to your brake lights. Apex Magnets: Magnets for Safety If you require magnets for safety purposes like the examples listed above, don’t just look through our vast catalog. Give us a call at (304) 257-1193. We’ll talk you through the whole process because your safety matters to us.