Driverless Cars Are on the Horizon

The shift to driverless cars is on!  Scholars and researchers are estimating autonomous cars will make up 75 percent of vehicles on the road by 2040.  This will have a dramatic impact on many areas of our economy. 

  

Autonomous cars will affect infrastructure as the cars would have to communicate with the highway or street as well as with other cars to determine traffic and weather conditions.  Vehicles would be able to travel faster as alerts could be exchanged to regarding accidents or available parking places.  It would be possible to avoid accidents with information about where other vehicles are.

  

Another major change would affect transportation and mobility for many people who are currently unable to drive.  This would have a huge impact on the young, the elderly, and the disabled.  In fact, the appeal of using the commuting time to surf the internet or talk on the phone is a major attraction to millennials.

  

Many of the features which will be found in driverless cars will be available in the near future.  Driver assist systems including active cruise control, lane-keep assist are becoming more common in vehicles.   Volvo is introducing two new systems which will be offered in its’ 2016 XC90:  run-off road protection and auto brake at intersections.  

The run-off road feature detects when a car leaves the road and tightens the front safety belts to keep occupants cinched in their seats.  It also added energy absorbing cushioning between the seat and frame to help alleviate the occurrence of spinal injuries.  To keep drivers on the pavement, Volvo will add a Lane Keeping Aid, which applies extra steering torque when a vehicle unintentionally travels outside the lane.  Statistics from Volvo indicate that half of all traffic fatalities are due to road departure accidents, when a vehicle veers off the road.   Volvo has long been known for safety, so it is not surprising that they are at the forefront of new safety technology.

  

When it comes to research on driverless cars Google is way ahead of the competition.  Initially, the driverless car research was done on the Toyota Prius, and Google has a fleet of them around its California campus, and has tested them over approximately 300,000 miles.  It has since built its’ own version of the vehicle without a steering wheel.  Although the technology is advancing, many drivers are hesitant to relinquish control.   People may become accustomed to these new cars a little at a time. 

If you are injured in an auto accident by no fault of your own, you need to speak with an experienced personal injury attorney. Call The Law Offices of Robert Paysinger, P.C. at (303) 279-0221 today for a free initial consultation. We help injured people - it's all we do! 

Sources: New driver assist systems add extra layer of protection for occupants of upcoming all-new crossover. 5 Reasons Why Automakers Should Fear Google's Driverless Car

Can YOUR Car talk?

Are Talking Cars on the Way?

WASHINGTON - For the lucky drivers who were selected to participate in Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Program, the results were quite clear: adding technology that allows cars to "communicate" with each other with a Wi-Fi-like network was welcomed with open arms by more than 4 out of 5 participants. 

The clinics, which was a joint effort between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Research and Innovation Technology Administration, in addition to automakers and state/federal agencies, were conducted over a five month span between August 2011 and January 2012 in six different locations across the country.

Some automakers have been more reluctant to express their excitement for requirement implementation of new technology. However, many are suggesting that an obligation to equip newer vehicles with new electronic components that allow vehicles to communicate with each other is the most efficient way to have these products introduced to the marketplace.

"If you have the technology, and the price has gone down so much, use it," said Clarence Ditlow, Executive Director of the Center for Auto Safety, a consumer group. "You aren't going to get it into the marketplace as fast as you could and save as many lives as you could unless you mandate it."

A major difference between this newly developed, communicative technology and previous auto-safety technologies is the ability to detect cars that are unable to be distinguished by laser or radar. The previous electronic equipment relied on "seeing" (though laser or radar), rather than discovering other vehicles through a wireless network so the driver can be alerted.

One major concern regarding this technology involves the wireless network aspect. Before the product can be introduced, it must be investigated to ensure that it is resistant to hacking and other issues that might affect reliability.

The joint NHTSA and RITA venture will continue with a second phase this summer, slated to be a year in duration. The experiment will monitor 3,000 vehicles equipped with the technology, and will investigate new areas of use, such as "do not pass" alerts, and an alarm for vehicles that have stopped suddenly.

Data from the pilot program will be used to determine the plausibility of the technology's implementation, and by 2013 the two agencies will decide whether the endeavor will continue to be pursued.

Sources: New DOT Research Shows Drivers Support Connected Vehicle Technology, Appreciate Potential Safety Benefits, Cars Avoid Crashes by Talking to each other 8 June, 2012