There are plenty of driving and safety tips out there to help prevent accidents, but as long as human judgment is behind the wheel, there will always be accidents on the road. This is where tech comes in.
New technology is helping to make up for human error via sensors, automatic braking, smartphone connectivity, and more. Here is some of the latest tech we’re hoping to see more of in the next few years. Many of these are not only safer but also more convenient for you, the driver.
Adaptive cruise control
Instead of keeping your car at the same speed, adaptive cruise control can adjust speed based on the car in front of you. The radar system maintains a certain distance between you and the car in front of you. No more setting and re-setting your speed whenever traffic slows. ACC has been around a while but has previously only been available in luxury vehicles, like the Lexus LS430, which was first to use it. Now, ACC is becoming increasingly available in new vehicles.
Anti-collision warning systems
These monitors can detect when a collision is about to happen, allowing the driver to correct the car and avoid an accident. Some even brake for you.
Head-up displays
This display keeps the info you need within your line of sight while driving. Many are customizable so you can put the information that’s most important to you on the display, and take off the things that aren’t important. This isn’t new tech - head-up displays have been long used in fighter jets. But they are now an affordable safety addition to your vehicle.
Steering avoidance systems
Like anti-collision monitors, this system will detect debris on the road and steer to avoid it. This can also keep your car centered in the lane. Braking anti-collision systems are incredibly valuable, but braking won’t always prevent an accident. This takes that protection to the next step.
Pre-safe sound
This is currently only available in newer Mercedes models, but could save your life. The cabin produces a sound at a frequency that prepares your ears for the loud sound of a collision. This doesn’t help with the initial crash, but once the crash is over, you may still be in harm’s way. The noise of the crash can hurt your inner ear and be disorienting, but with PreSafe sound, you’ll have more control and be able to react to get yourself (and your family) safely out of the way.
App vehicle control
Available on some brands, smart-phone integration allows you to control different aspects of your vehicle. Some allow for remote start, parking and monitoring of the vehicle. Perhaps most useful is the ability to check if you locked your car, and locate it, from afar. Tesla’s version even monitors the charge of your battery.
Uptis airless tires
GM and Michelin have created a tire that can’t go flat. The tires have a series of rubber internal spokes that give the tires their shape instead of air. The companies expect these tires to have a longer life expectancy, to absorb shock better, and eliminate the danger of a flat or blowout on the road.
Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications
V2V communication will allow vehicles to detect the behavior of other cars on the road. It will be able to detect when cars have slowed down ahead, when there’s a car you cannot visibly see, and detect an oncoming vehicle if you’re trying to pass on a two-lane highway. The benefits of V2V are numerous, and add another layer of safety to blind spot detection and anti-collision monitoring. The problem is that V2V is complicated. It will have to be government regulated, and there is some dispute over whether the communications should be via cellular-based 5G or dedicated short-range radio communication (DSRC). While this might make us wait longer than we hoped, V2V will be a major game changer when it gets off the ground.
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