There has been much talk into the ability of tomorrow’s smart cars that have the capacity of augmenting the human driver at the steering wheel of all vehicles. While the driver may not be totally eliminated form the total driving experience, there are technologies in development and use that are designed to augment the driver’s abilities with respect to vision, reaction time and collision avoidance. Technologies in development like the ones currently being researched and proven by the Japanese car manufacturer Honda, their ASV and DSSS systems are designed to lay out the future of smart cars that talk to each other and communicate with traffic computers allowing them real time data acquisition form other vehicles.
Additions of vision augmentation such as the ones used by Mercedes that have built in IR emitters that are seen by an onboard camera that allows drivers to see in front of the vehicle and at the rear when parking avoiding hidden dangers that cannot be revealed even with current HID technologies. Adaptive lighting also used by newer Mercedes cars which has servos and sensors that maintains the most amount of light on the road and out of the face of drivers in oncoming vehicles is also making roads safer and better to drive. Blind corner detection which Mazda is developing is also to take part in the development of an Intelligent Transport System (ITS) that would be the framework of tomorrow’s smart roads where cars and drivers are able to gain information form each other and directly form the traffic management people.
Technology has gone a long way in terms of improving the safety and ease at which we drive tomorrow’s cars but the question on how far we would allow these technologies to take over our vehicles is for us to say and many still feel uncomfortable at letting technology rule our lives. That’s why we still have pilots when planes can fly themselves without them and Ship Captains when current high-tech ships can sail on their own. The human ability to react and reason is still the best technology when it comes to risk analysis and no computer can top the intuitive human touch to date.
Several reports from consumers have been found to have accidents linked to
old tires being sold at many tire centers across the world. Even newly installed tires that have been manufactured years before they were installed onto vehicles have the potential to fail miserably soon after installation. These tires have long since been in inventories that though they are new have been sitting for as long as 10 years, maybe more in shelves and stocks. Tires like all manufactured goods have a specific timeframe fro them to retain their reliability and for something that is supposed to carry your car as you drive around that becomes a serious matter. Many have died as a result of old tires that have been stripped of treads sending vehicles crashing into everything in its path. Tires that blow out takes away control form the driver for the much needed traction which is the main form of control for all motorized vehicles. Tires that have been sitting on shelves for more than 10 years lose integrity with plies separating and shearing off resulting in accidents.
Tires do have a code to indicate when they were manufactured but they come in
cryptic codes that only the manufacturer knows how to read. Families of people who have died as a result of tire blowouts, wants congress to issue strict laws that would require tire manufacturers to include manufacturing dates on the information stamped on tires and that a ten year limit to be imposed as shelf life for them.
The deaths have to stop and it would only be prudent for these manufacturers who sell millions of these tires worldwide to take measures that allow
consumers to determine the lifespan of their products. Hopefully, these measures would make the Sunday drive safer and people would be assured of safer cars with brand their new tires.
In the never ending story of how GPS has allowed drivers and travelers alike to get to their destinations faster and easier, another addition to the saga of the errant GPS and their likewise errant drivers. As in previous posts regarding GPS and their ability to go wrong (extremely wrong) and give wrong directions drivers in the UK have had their common sense so to speak driven out of them as they drive into bridge overhangs and other structures which were not taken into consideration by the GPS mapping systems. The article came to my attention from Gadzooki which has a post dated on the 18th of April which shows hilarious yet serious statistics of drivers running into bridges like the ones shown in Mr. Bean cartoons and movies. These drivers trust their high-tech GPS navigation devices so much they forget to keep their eyes on the road and mind structures their vehicles may encounter. GPS has indeed made driving a pleasure by giving the right directions and even telling us when and where to go but it would also be a good idea to consider and include real-time traffic and positional data (not forgetting to take into consideration the location of low lying bridges and structures that may not accommodate the various types of vehicles that are on the road) which is already in some advanced high-price units.
The UK is a growing market for GPS and various gizmos and gadgets are coming to the public being sold as aides to UK drivers. The advantage is that the tons of camera’s in and around major cities allows UK traffic authorities to provide up to date traffic information where the driver can select alternate routes. The growing number of vehicles on the roads of Britain are becoming more and more of a problem which results in gridlock and traffic exclusion schemes to select areas that have provided some relief.
The Uk has also been able to produce one of the most powerful computers on earth named Hector which could be used to process vast amounts of data including traffic management and other tasks for the British Government. As technology progresses and heads into the future, we would be amazed at how far it has gone in the span of our lifetimes. We would also be assured of constant laughter when technology plus humans equals less common sense which makes the drive worth taking. Watch out for that BRIDGE!!!!!!!
The Japanese manufacturer Toyota Motors Co. has issued a recall for all Corolla’s and Matrix’s with power windows due to problems with the mounts of their window mechanisms. There have been several reports of injuries and motorists who have had their windshields shatter due to excessive rattling. Indicators of the problem begin with changes to the sound of the windows while they are being operated. The problem if not corrected has been reported to cause shattering of the tempered glass windows which would be a big problem if you were driving fast on the freeway sending the glass into your eyes and body. The motor company will be contacting all those who purchased the said vehicles and would be repaired free of cost at all authorized dealers. Toyota has reiterated that the recall is for all vehicles of the said makes with power windows only.
Honda Motors has also issued a recall for all Honda 2003 Accords which number more than 350,000 due to a problem in the waterproofing of the cars which has water entering the location of the wiper motor. The said water seepage can cause corrosion and subsequent failure of the motor rendering it useless. Vehicles brought into dealers would inspect the problematic area and installation of a shield to protect the motor would be done. Replacement of already failing motors would also be done free of charge. The said problem has been reported to cause a circuit breaker in the vicinity to trip thus preventing it from functioning properly. Driving in foul weather without wipers is dangerous and can cause accidents so do take the warnings and take your cars if you are part of the recall to the nearest dealer for proper inspections.
In the UK, you might be surprised to find out that potholes are not considered to be such unless they are deeper than 4cm. This comes to light as various local authorities are trying to cut back on expenses with respect to road repairs unless they are deeper than 4cm. Road management is suffering from a deficit of around 1 billion Pounds due to road repairs and they are trying to cut back costs due to the ever deepening global economic slowdown. People are outraged at the idea and those who use the same roads who enjoy cycling and other motoring activity groups are calling the bid to be too shortsighted due to the possibility of the increasing and not decreasing accidents on the road.
Some city councils have even gone deeper to 5cm. with regards to the depth of a road surface defect till they would have road crews take action to repair them. Various groups are expressing much disgust at the new proposals and they say that anything that you can trip on should be considered a pothole and be repaired. A hole is still a hole however deep it is and no law could change that. Imagine running over a pothole through fog and getting into an accident just because road maintenance says it’s still too shallow to be repaired. This is causing much outcry from the public who say that this is sure sign of the utter disregard of the authorities for public safety in exchange for economy.
In Most states in the US, texting is now considered a traffic violation with a hefty $1,800 fine that is causing much of a stir. Drivers argue that there are other more dangerous activities that are just as accident causing as texting such as; turning to get a fallen toy to stop a baby crying, tuning the radio, watching you favorite movie on the LCD screen which is part of today’s multi-function displays and much more. There is actually credence behind the claim for the human eye only has an area of vision which is around a couple of inches square. Everything that falls out of that region you can see but am not too particular about and is considered to be peripheral vision. Many accidents are happening because of the growing entertainment equipment that is now standard on all vehicles. Most cars have a standard audio system by default but add-on’s can have LCD screens for all passengers and sadly even within view of the driver which distracts them from their assigned tasks.
Using the cellphone without a hand’s-free unit has already been approved sometime back and is now a common violation which many still commit and get fined for. Any distraction, however slight can cause a gap in concentration driving being a highly sense dependent activity that relies on fast reflexes that can mean the difference between a crash and a near miss when on the roads. New camera’s are making the apprehension of these violators possible which take pictures of the plate number along with a wider shot of the driver and plate combo to prevent disputes from ever happening. So texters beware, the cops are out to get ya.
Even the lowly automotive crash test dummy had to be adapted to consider the rising number of obese people from all over the world. These human-like substitutes took the place of real people when the tests began to involve lethal forces that would have surely cut short the life of any volunteer (they actually used real people to test the effectivity of seatbelts when they were invented in real crashes). The newest versions of these unsung heroes of the automotive industry have thousands of sensors embedded within them to monitor all aspects of a crash to see whether an impact is survivable or not. Even with current high-power computers, actual crash tests are still conducted for they offer aspects of a crash that cannot all be factored by computers which rely on input. Real crash shows the way an actual human-like body would bounce around giving designers better insight on how to design their cars better.
The results of these crash tests have saved millions of lives with better designs and innovations such as crumple zones that absorb the impact of the crash from reaching the passengers of the vehicles. The reinforcement of the safety cage is also another design result from test crashes wherein a vehicle is constructed in a way to maximize the survival of it’s passengers by maintaining a survivable space in the cab where they are located.
Recent accidents that have involved obese people which are not factored into crash tests due to their falling out of the normal range in terms of body mass and structure resulting in fatal crashes. Auto manufacturers have been forced to reconsider their needs and thus have added a couple of obese dummies in their quest o satisfy all their customers. Obesity is a rising problem in the US and elsewhere with many getting well out of the standard data sets of body size, height and weight proportions crash test dummies were usually designed to, factoring them in allows manufacturers and designers to make their vehicles safe for all people from all walks of life.
In the past post, dangers of dangerous devices like airbags and seatbelt pre-tensioners were discussed by rescue people as one of the new dangers associated with operations they are conducting everyday. Another of the new hazards that have sprung out of alternative fuel vehicles like electrically powered vehicles is acid burns which could make rescue more hazardous if this high-capacity, multi-celled batteries were to burst. The acids they contain are very much dangerous to living tissue and their design as high capacity high output makes it more dangerous due to hazardous current adding to the caustic nature of their contents.
Disarming safety systems like airbags and pre-tensioners requires rescue people to disconnect the terminal of the vehicle’s battery to discharge the system. But even after disconnecting them, the rescuers have to wait at least 15 to 20 seconds for the control circuits to totally discharge and loose their ability to accidentally trigger either device harming anybody in the way. These safety systems have a fail-safe system wherein they have power supplies that have either rechargeable batteries or large capacity capacitors built into them to allow protection even if the battery is disconnected or goes flat. That time takes a huge chunk off the precious 15 minutes it is said to be the most critical stage of a rescue, from the accident area to the hospital. Another danger comes from gas fueled cars which have gasses that are heavier than air which can pool on the bottom of a damaged vehicle if it is punctured yet leaks only enough avoiding a catastrophic explosion. The high pressure storage systems which is made up of tanks and other regulators that allows safe handling can also leak in the event of a crash that can be ignited by a spark from unsuspecting rescuers.
All the above alternative fuelled vehicles are designed with safety in front of all other things yet they might be too complicated for the rescue people to handle safely. Some specialized personnel who are trained in dealing with Hazardous Materials (Airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners, electric and gas powered vehicles have components that are considered to be highly toxic) should be within units, with tools like a laptop pre-loaded with information on how to instruct and safely handle these dangerous materials and chemicals should they prove to be a risk to the occupants and the rescue personnel who could both be injured.
The advances in automobile technology has been so much that a great number of deaths are prevented especially due to the use of newer materials that has increased the safety of vehicles so much that they are literally cages within the car. Automotive manufacturers have installed airbags, seatbelt pre-tensioners and the use of exotic alloy metals/materials that are lighter yet several times stronger than normal steel are not common place that the term safety has translated into a total safety zone within the vehicle which prevents the passengers and driver from serious injury. This is a good thing for all of us till accidents occur and people get stuck in these types of vehicles with the best passenger protection technology installed.
Fire and rescue personnel are the ones who bear the brunt of injuries sustained during rescues from such vehicles. Airbags that are triggered by rescue people trying to free trapped people from crashes send the rescuers and the rescue both to the hospital. Regular extrication techniques are proving to be very ineffective as metals and composite materials need very expensive hydraulic systems such as the “Jaws of Life” which can cut the posts off a car in minutes. Those volunteer departments without enough funding cannot afford such equipment which translates to lost time in the critical period it takes to get a person out of the crashed vehicle to the hospital increasing the risk of death or permanent injury.
Firemen and rescue people are now being more careful in their trying to get people out trying to avoid hazards wasting time searching for the wires that send signals to the airbag systems and belt tensioners to free their patients. This might necessitate the need for more safety and rescue equipment which can be effective as the jaws was in it’s early days. Another solution may be a standardized emergency radio disabling system with a frequency that is unique to emergency situations which can disable such safety systems preventing injuries to rescuers as they try to save lives. Carbon fiber which is used in more exotic cars is a very difficult material to deal with for it is many times stronger than steel that only hydraulic cutters can deal with. Better measures such as improved budgets, training materials and re-training of personnel in how to deal with such materials should they need to be handled.
A project by some of Japan’s leading auto manufacturers led by Mazda are stepping up their studies in making driving a safer way to get from point a o b. The study tackles areas such as blind intersections and winding roads with technology that would allow the oncoming vehicle top communicate with the car you are driving, assisting your from crashing into each other. Parts of the study that have been finished so far are rear view assist systems, radar systems that check for correct distance and assist the driver in applying the brakes even doing it automatically if needed to avoid hitting the vehicle in front of it. The Japanese are known for finding ways of incorporating technology into their vehicles with the ultimate goal being a smart Intelligent Transport System with cars connected to each other using the many wireless technologies available today. The system is to consist of smart vehicles, intelligent roadways and people, all networked to share information for a safer driving experience. The study is currently in it’s fourth phase with the testing and development phases beginning in 2006 and are projected to last till 2010. The current phase is under testing in Nagasaki for the blind collision avoidance system, right turn and rear-end collision avoidance systems is to end by 2008. As these technologies are studied and improved on, they will slowly filter down to the consumers who are of course the primary concern of such studies, minimizing the risks of driving on the roads anywhere on earth. A pre-crash sensor, pioneered by Mazda uses radar to automatically apply the brakes if the detected speed is to fast for comfort is already about to be incorporated into it’s future vehicle releases as a Pre-Crash Safety System to lessen rear-ending the vehicle in front as much as possible. The other players participating in the study are Mitsubishi and Kawasaki who are both part contributors and conducting testing as part of the effort.
