Every so often television shows have a good laugh at the expense of past visions of the future.
Rocket cars, hover boards and the like have been touted by futurologists since the 1950s and such predictions have usually fallen hilariously wide of the mark.
Cars that drive themselves?
Ridiculous
But hang on..
Vehicles running on nuclear power might not be with us yet, but self-aware machines that can drive for us are much more of a reality.
Some technology that allows cars to take over aspects of control from the driver is already with us, and more sophisticated versions are on the way.
Already established are pedestrian friendly bonnets. Cars like the Peugeot 407 and Citroen C4 are now designed with impact predicting sensors that move the bonnet away from the engine to cushion the blow.
Seeing aroung corners, not a problem! Adaptive headlights have been introduced from manufacturers such as Vauxhall, Citroen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Headlights are swivelled in accordance with the amount of steering input and speed of the car so drivers no longer waste energy lighting up hedgerows.
So where next? Autopilot?
Well yes, experts at GM are claiming the 2008 Vauxhall Vectra will have an autopilot function capable of driving itself at speeds of up to 60mph in heavy traffic.
Safety is however the driving force behind such systems, and with duty of care such a key concern for fleet managers, the emergence of new technology needs to be monitored carefully by businesses.
Motoring research organisation Thatcham is spearheading a campaign to increase awareness of collision avoidance technologies.
Technologies that scan the road ahead and take action to either warn the driver or intervene first appeared a few years ago in luxury cars such as the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. They are now starting to filter down to volume cars with various systems available, all having similar principles.
Technologies such as radar or lasers detail obstacles in front of the cars can identify collision threats. They warn the driver through audible, sensory or visual alarms. Some go further; various systems pre-charge the brakes to ensure maximum braking power when the driver hits the middle pedal, others apply the brakes automatically.
Matthew Avery, Thatcham’s research manager, says: “Protecting the driver in the event of a crash is our primary concern, but prevention is better than cure. It would be better to avoid the crash in the first place and that’s exactly what these technologies are doing. Some of these systems could be standard on future models. This is just the beginning of the collision avoidance revolution.”
A common fear of technologies that take over some control from the driver is that motorists could start relying on them rather than treating them as a safety net.
“We’re seeing new technologies that will have a significant effect on crashes and injuries in the future. Three-quarters of crashes occur at under 20mph. Front to rear low-speed shunts are the most common types of crash. If fleet vehicles had effective collision avoidance technologies, more than £2.1billion could be saved in the UK each year, and 125,000 injuries could be prevented."
Keen not to be seen as taking responsibility away from drivers, many manufacturers are trying to find ways to ensure their safety systems are a last resort only.
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