Collision avoidance systems are the next development invehicle safety. Since the legal requirement of seatbelts, most safety featureshave focused on protecting the passengers in the event of an accident. It's easy to get distracted talking or texting on a cell phone, going through menus on your car navigation system, or changing the track on your car CD changer. Looking away from the road for just a few seconds can cause a serious car accident. Movingforward, automakers are looking to avoid accidents altogether with new collision avoidance technology.
Collision avoidance systems usually involve adaptive cruisecontrol. This is like normal cruise control, but with radar sensors that candetect traffic ahead of you to maintain a certain distance away. They can alsosound alarms or flash warnings on the windshield if the sensors detect you’regetting too close to the car in front of you too fast. If you don’t react intime, the system will automatically apply break pressure. If the computers andsensors determine that you are going to crash, they will tighten seatbelts,adjust headrests, and close power windows and the sunroof to make the car saferin the collision.
Collision avoidance also includes other technology likesensors to tell if you’ve drifted into another lane or to monitor your blindspots. These use cameras instead of radar to watch the road around the vehicleand alert the driver of any dangers.
Having these systems in vehicles make cars smarter than drivers.It alerts sleepy drivers if they’re drifting around the highway and distracteddrivers if they’re about to turn into someone in their blind spot. It alsoprevents serial tailgaters by forcing a safe distance between you and thevehicle ahead. These systems could save many lives as the computers reactfaster in crucial situations than we do.
There is a potential for the system to overreact, causingirritating warning lights to flash when there may not be present danger. Someargue this would be a small price to pay for the lives that could be saved bycollision avoidance systems.
Today this technology is primarily available for luxurycars, like BMWs, Cadillacs, and Audis but it has begun to appear in mid-levelcars as well, like the Ford Taurus and the Dodge Charger. It will only be amatter of time before these systems are widely available for even lower pricedvehicles so everyone can benefit from the added safety collision avoidancesystems provide.
Source: AOL Autos
