10 Technologies Reducing Auto Risk
Published September 18, 2012 4:27 PM
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Updated September 19, 2012 11:37 AM
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The study focused on adults 50 and older, who are found most likely "to purchase the types of vehicles that contain modern technologies," according to Jodi Oshevski, gerontologist at The Hartford. Among such adults, the No. 1 concern is seeing at night (24 percent), followed by distractions within the vehicle such as music and phone calls (13 percent), changing lanes in traffic (12 percent) and merging onto the highway (12 percent). The following 10 technologies reflect these concerns as well as others shared by the general driving public.
1. Smart headlights
Enables drivers to adjust the range and intensity of light based on the distance of traffic and to reduce glare and improve night vision.
Rui Caldeira
2. Emergency response systems
Offers quick assistance to drivers in the case of a medical emergency or collision, often allowing emergency personnel to get to the scene more quickly.
3. Reverse monitoring systems
Warns of objects to the rear of the vehicle to help drivers judge distances and back up safely, and helps drivers with reduced flexibility.
4. Blind spot warning systems
Warns drivers of objects in blind spots, especially while changing lanes and parking, and helps those with limited range of motion.
5. Lane departure warning
Monitors the vehicles position and warns the driver if the vehicle deviates outside the lane, helping drivers stay in their lane.
6. Vehicle stability control
Helps to automatically bring the vehicle back in the intended line of travel, particularly in situations where the driver underestimates the angle of a curve or experiences weather effects, and reduces the likelihood of a crash.
7. Assistive parking systems
Enables vehicles to park on their own or indicates distance to objects, reducing driver stress, making parking easier, and increasing the places that a driver can park.
8. Voice activated systems
Enables drivers to access features by voice command so they can keep focused on the road.
9. Crash mitigation systems
Detects when the vehicle may be in danger of a collision and can help to minimize injuries to passengers.
Dmitriy Shironosov/Getty Images/iStockphoto
10. Drowsy driver alerts
Monitosr the degree to which a driver may be inattentive while on the road and helps alert drivers to the driving task.