Four Wheelers Under Control
Technology may make cars safer
Could roads be fatality-free within a generation?
Peter Evans, Toyota’s corporate manager of product planning predicted that evolving technology could improve road safety that much. Soon cars will keep to the speed limit, stay a safe distance from other traffic, not stray out of their lane and get warnings that help them avoid hitting pedestrians. Trucking has a similar array of safety features available now.
Motorists could use the help. A driver traveling one block in a busy downtown area receives more sensory inputs than a pilot landing an aircraft. On the open road, roadside infrastructure will also cooperate with vehicles to provide advanced cruise-assist highway systems. Toyota and European manufacturers BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Volvo are leading the way in developing this technology, which will also reduce fuel consumptions and emissions. While effective, these improvements will take a commitment by government to implement the tools on the road and put controls on private vehicles.
