Can Smart Cars Really Change The Road For Drivers?

Guest Post

Smart Cars GP

Driver error is typically at the cause of many of today’s traffic accidents. However, smart cars may be changing the future of road safety for drivers. Because of their ability to keep passengers safe when it comes to reaction time and intelligence, engineers are finding new ways to help people avoid collisions and injuries with the latest vehicle designs.

Increase Response Time

Over 40,000 deaths are attributed to driver error each year with regular vehicles. These accident statistics also attribute to many injuries that require legal representation, leaving many families being changed forever.

Now, important smart car features can help the response time and allow an individual enough time to see the potential risks before an accident occurs. Some smart cars will even intervene if it feels the car is placed in a dangerous situation.

Examples of other new concepts include automatic brake functioning when a person fails to brake at a red light and alert system notifying the driver that a pedestrian is entering a crosswalk or street.

Communication

Seatbelts, electronic stability control and air bags are instrumental in saving lives. However, a cars ability to communicate and talk to each other can help provide future safety to both drivers and passengers. Car to Car communication can even help reduce road and highway accidents by as  much as 80 percent.

This is done through the high-speed components of Wifi to ensure that data is being receiving between the other vehicles. If a car needs to brake quickly and unexpectedly, the transmitting devices will have the ability to prevent the vehicles from coming in close proximity and colliding with one another.

Occupant Survival

Occupant survival methods are ideal for assessing an imminent crash. Vehicles such as the Mercedes have the technology to set the car in pre-safe preparedness. What this means is that the cars seatbelts automatically tighten, windows close and seats will adjust to receive optimum airbag protection to all occupants.

Gaze Detection

Another handy safety concept includes gaze detection. Upon reading the eye movements or facial expressions of the driver via a camera on board, a warning system will alert the driver of objects entering their line of vision, especially if they’re distracted and looking away from the road. This can be helpful in the prevention of distracted driving accidents and injuries.

Night Driving

Millions of elderly drivers are affected by night driving. It can also be a hindrance to those trying to decipher obstructions in the road such as animals, tires and other obstacles. Smart cars have infrared sensors that can help in the detection of these objects as far as several hundred feet ahead of the driver.

Once transmitted to the monitoring system on the dashboard, the driver will get a better view and be able to react in a timely manner. This could also be instrumental when coming in contact with deer and other large animals.

With future technological advances and designs, smart cars may have the ability to reduce accidents and save lives. They may even go so far as to eliminate the human driver altogether by taking complete control of the steering wheel.

Photo credit: https://flic.kr/p/9k6wYC

15 Comments

  1. Interesting. I’m not sure if I would want the car to intervine. It could be scary!

  2. I think this would be great for older drivers with shorter response times.

  3. I personally would not want to give up my control to drive. I would like to have the features of being notified of things within close range of me, but beyond that no other control should be taken away from me. Driving is my way of unwinding.

  4. My niece wants one of these as many of her friends in school have one too. I think this really could help new drivers be a little safer.

  5. I dont know, it seems using this smartcar is more dangerous especially if it intervenes, creepy.

  6. I t might help drivers be safer,but they still havr to put full atention on the road and not things like phones,etc.

  7. I consider myself to be a very safe driver and I couldn’t put my trust in any vehicle for my safety. I know it’s probably good for some but I simply couldn’t see myself using it.

  8. I am not sure it would help having less accidents and if it will be better
    I have my doubts

  9. I don’t know how I feel about them taking complete control of the wheel, but I do like a lot of the assitance that smart cars can help with.

  10. It sounds interesting, but I’m not sure I’d trust it enough to intervene.

  11. The city where I live needs to have more smart cars (or do something about those that cannot drive!).

  12. I went to a car technology meeting once and it was amazing to hear about some of the advances they make. It is reassuring and scary at the same time.

  13. sound interesting

  14. I am only 31 but have a difficult time driving during night hours due to a genetic condition. I would love to have a vehicle that can help me during the times where driving at night is a must.

  15. Very informative post! Thanks for sharing!

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