Demo #2
Again, visualize... You’re traveling along a country road with a slow-moving tractor trailer in front of you. Naturally, you’d like to pass and be on your way, so you pull out to see if the road ahead is clear.
Wow! You were nearly involved in a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle! This sort of thing happens only too frequently on our roads today but perhaps not in the future.
Why? Because as soon as our test vehicle sensed our driver starting to turn his electronically-powered steering outwards, it immediately accessed the information it had received from other vehicles in the vicinity, and recognized the fact that another vehicle was coming towards us in the opposing lane. Again, the warning system alerted us to the impending danger.
Demo #3
How many times have you witnessed a vehicle run a red light? Once, twice, several hundred times? Yes, in our modern world where time is money, it’s only too common to see drivers gamble with their lives, and those of others, by attempting to beat the odds. Sadly, in these situations, it’s often the innocent driver who pays the final price.
Now imagine if we could get an early warning of an impatient driver approaching the intersection. Well, your prayers may soon be answered.
This demonstration was carried out at normal in-town road speeds, which (although we should all be slowing to cross an intersection) is probably around 50 km/h. For the purpose of making the demonstration even more realistic, Ford had chosen to block our view of the intersection with a parked tractor trailer.
Once again, the vehicle’s computerized system saved the day by warning us that there was a vehicle approaching the intersection, and that it was traveling too fast to stop.
Yes, I know this all sounds wonderful, and I do have to admit to being very impressed. However, I believe that we are still a little way from seeing this in everyday use. I also believe that drivers will need educating before using this technology. After all, we’ve all suffered from computerized glitches and it’s sure to be a long time before we can rely on them 100%, if ever.
These advancements in automotive technology will change our lives someday, but only if we learn to use them for their intended purpose, that of a driver warning system. It will never completely protect us from the idiots on the road, but simply warn us of their presence, so maybe we should be looking for some way of removing those idiots.
Again, visualize... You’re traveling along a country road with a slow-moving tractor trailer in front of you. Naturally, you’d like to pass and be on your way, so you pull out to see if the road ahead is clear.
Wow! You were nearly involved in a head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle! This sort of thing happens only too frequently on our roads today but perhaps not in the future.
Why? Because as soon as our test vehicle sensed our driver starting to turn his electronically-powered steering outwards, it immediately accessed the information it had received from other vehicles in the vicinity, and recognized the fact that another vehicle was coming towards us in the opposing lane. Again, the warning system alerted us to the impending danger.
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| Photo: Ford |
Demo #3
How many times have you witnessed a vehicle run a red light? Once, twice, several hundred times? Yes, in our modern world where time is money, it’s only too common to see drivers gamble with their lives, and those of others, by attempting to beat the odds. Sadly, in these situations, it’s often the innocent driver who pays the final price.
Now imagine if we could get an early warning of an impatient driver approaching the intersection. Well, your prayers may soon be answered.
This demonstration was carried out at normal in-town road speeds, which (although we should all be slowing to cross an intersection) is probably around 50 km/h. For the purpose of making the demonstration even more realistic, Ford had chosen to block our view of the intersection with a parked tractor trailer.
Once again, the vehicle’s computerized system saved the day by warning us that there was a vehicle approaching the intersection, and that it was traveling too fast to stop.
Yes, I know this all sounds wonderful, and I do have to admit to being very impressed. However, I believe that we are still a little way from seeing this in everyday use. I also believe that drivers will need educating before using this technology. After all, we’ve all suffered from computerized glitches and it’s sure to be a long time before we can rely on them 100%, if ever.
These advancements in automotive technology will change our lives someday, but only if we learn to use them for their intended purpose, that of a driver warning system. It will never completely protect us from the idiots on the road, but simply warn us of their presence, so maybe we should be looking for some way of removing those idiots.