| SELF-DRIVING CARS Mercedes-Benz has released a report that states it's plans for ''intelligent driver assistance systems." The German automaker said a new generation of technologies is coming, which includes video-based assistance functions to help drivers avoid collisions. A company release states that "these systems have the ability to make predictive interpretations of critical driving situations and then issue timely warnings to drivers, or even intervene if there is imminent danger." I'm all for any safety features that will help reduce collisions, injuries, and loss of life; although it doesn't say much for the driving abilities of some motorists. Really, if everyone was a top-notch driver we wouldn't need these expensive technologies, would we? Or vehicle insurance either. As I mentioned in my article on psychometric testing, it seems we have the knowledge and expertise to produce above average drivers, drivers who not only have above average skills in handling a vehicle, but also the required psychological makeup as well. All it would take is the political will and a lot of money. But I think money is the big stumbling block; strange how just about everything comes down to money. A favorite theory of mine is that every student driver should have to go through rigorous testing, much the same as an airline pilot. Only after passing multiple tests over a period of time, including psychological testing, would they be granted a full licence. We are seeing a glimmer of that now in graduated licencing. Along with that would come yearly or bi-yearly testing and harsher penalties for wayward motorists, such as losing driving privileges for years at a time. This may sound like a rather wild idea at first glance, but with millions of motorists using our roadways, and tens of thousands of collisions and fatalities every year, maybe it's not so fanciful; only expensive. This begs the question: how much is a human life worth? Getting back to Mercedes- Benz, the technologies mentioned above will move it past its "PreSafe" system, which preps the car in the microseconds before a crash by doing such things as slowing the car down, adjusting the seats and rolling up the windows. Mercedes said it is currently testing the "second stage" of the PreSafe brake, which "involves initiating an automatic emergency braking maneuver if a collision becomes unavoidable. This will lead to a further substantial reduction of impact energy," it said. A prototype system also uses a stereo camera that recognizes cars, cyclists and pedestrians as they approach the vehicle from the side. The system predicts direction of motion and calculates the likelihood of an accident in advance. The automaker said another system "will remind drivers in the future to obey speed limits by 'reading' traffic signs and transmitting their images to a cockpit display in the vehicle. "This technology will be used further down the line to also register stop signs, yield signs and traffic lights," Mercedes-Benz said. A lane assistant system will feature a vibrating steering wheel to alert drivers when they have moved out of a lane. If the driver ignores the system, it will "put the vehicle back on the proper course by initiating a targeted braking maneuver on one of the wheels," the company said. A new Mercedes lane-changing system uses six radar sensors that monitor the area behind the sides of the vehicle to help with blind spots. If a vehicle is in the car's blind spot, a red warning light will appear in the side mirror. The system then sounds an alarm if the driver doesn't notice the red light and even turns on the blinker by itself in advance of the driver changing lanes. It seems we're on the verge of having self-driving cars. You will learn much more in my defensive driver course "Learn To Drive And Survive." Click below http://www.ultimate-driver-training.com/index.html Webmasters: if you would like to link to this article you can use the following URL: http://www.ultimate-driver-training.com/self_driving_cars.html |
