How to Prevent Injury - Car Safety Rating

Smart Cars - The Future of Safety

If you have ever seen movies that depict cars that essentially drive themselves, real life may be imitating art sooner than you think. Cars are becoming more intelligent in assessing dangers, enhancing our ability to react and protecting passengers when an accident is likely. As engineers create new ways to protect us on the road, crash and even injury avoidance is becoming front and center in new car designs.

Human error and our inability to react to impending crashes is a major factor in the 40,000 plus deaths attributed to car accidents every year. Car manufacturers are designing on board systems to increase our response time, enhance our ability to see potential dangers and intervene when the vehicle is put into situations that increase the percentage of having an accident.

One example of this new concept ; Designing a system designed to alert the driver if a pedestrian crossing the road is in danger of being hit. Another system application could apply the brakes if the computer perceives that the car is about to run a red light. These "Smart Safety Sensing Technologies", provide immediate information to the vehicle computer and allow the overall system to respond before the driver could react.

If a crash is imminent, some car companies will go into "Occupant Survival Mode". Mercedes TM for instance has a new technology design called "Pre-Safe" that engages in preparation of a perceived crash. All windows will immediately close, seat belts will tighten and the front seats will immediately adjust for maximum airbag protection.

Another safety concept called "Gaze Detection" is designed to automatically read facial expressions and eye movement through an on board camera. If the system detects an object in the path of the vehicle at the same time your eyes are looking elsewhere, a warning signal triggers drawing your attention to the object to be avoided.

If you are one of millions of older individuals who have trouble with night driving, you know how difficult it can be to identify and avoid a potential roadway threat; whether it be road debris or an animal standing in the path of the car. To solve this some car makers are installing infrared sensors to detect objects several hundred feet ahead. This information would be transmitted to a dashboard monitor enabling a much better view of the road ahead, thereby giving the driver extra visibility and reaction time if needed. This device alone could save many people from accidents involving deer or other animals across the country.

Cars will also be able to transmit information to other cars via new Intelligent Transportation Systems, allowing information on possible dangerous road conditions or traffic accidents that may have just occurred.

Who knows, the ultimate in safety would be to eliminate the human factor altogether, by giving complete control to the on board computer. Driving as we know it would be replaced by the mundane task of telling your vehicle where you want to go and waking you when you get there...

Article Source: Ezine Article

The National Highway and Transportation Safety Administration reported in August 2008 that the number of traffic deaths in 2007 was the lowest in 13 years. With Millions of cars on the road today, Car Safety Rating is paramount to continuing the downward trends of traffic fatalities.

Furthermore, the injuries from traffic accidents declined almost 4% from 2006 statistics. They also reported that the number of people injured in crashes went below 2.5 million for the first time since beginning to collect this data 20 years ago