Talking Cars and Road Safety

The government is launching a year-long, real-world test of systems that keep cars from crashing into each other in Michigan this summer. It’s going to involve nearly 3,000 cars, trucks and buses using volunteer drivers, the Associated Press reports. All the vehicles are going to electronically talk to each other to avoid accidents. The vehicles will be equipped to continuously communicate over wireless networks, exchanging information on location, direction and speed 10 times a second with other similarly equipped cars within about 1,000 feet, the AP says. A computer analyzes the information and issues danger warnings to drivers, often before they can see the other vehicle. The systems have been under development by several automakers over the past few years. They can either warn drivers that another vehicle is about cut in front of them or has suddenly stopped, or they can be tied to automatic system to brake cars to avoid collisions.  more

A few months ago in Hernando County, Florida, Greg Hamilton waited at a stoplight on State Road 50. When the light turned green, and with the intersection seemingly clear, he proceeded forward in his Toyota Camry. All of a sudden, BAM! From seemingly out of nowhere, a late-model Cadillac sped through the red light, smashing Hamilton’s car. The 76-year-old driver was sober; he simply hadn’t realized that he was approaching a red light. For that bit of human error, Hamilton paid a horrific price. At the hospital, he was treated for six broken ribs, several herniated discs, a separated shoulder, and a punctured lung. Realizing that more than 90 percent of auto accidents are caused by human error, engineers have long tried to shift the onus of safety responsibility to the vehicles themselves. Now, Ford and other major automakers are working to put “intelligent vehicles”–those that can communicate with one another–on the road. Such cars and trucks, NHTSA claims, could potentially reduce the number of light-vehicle crashes–at least those involving unimpaired drivers– by 80 percent. more

A Ford Taurus was seconds away from cruising through an intersection when suddenly a row of red lights pulsed on the lower windshield and a warning blared that another car was approaching fast on the cross street. Braking quickly, the driver stopped just as the second car, previously unseen behind a large parked truck, barreled through a red light and across the Ford’s path. The display at a recent transportation conference was a peek into the future of automotive safety: cars that talk to each other and warn drivers of impending collisions. more

As a safety demonstration, it was a heart-stopper: A Ford Taurus was seconds away from cruising through an intersection when suddenly a row of red lights pulsed on the lower windshield and a warning blared that another car was approaching fast on the cross street. Braking quickly, the driver stopped just as the second car, previously unseen behind a large parked truck, barrelled through a red light and across the Ford’s path. The display at a recent transportation conference was a peek into the future of automotive safety: cars that talk to each other and warn drivers of impending collisions. more

http://www.ezdrivingtest.com/blog/2012/06/10/talking-cars-and-road-safety10june2012/