When it comes to new cars many people insist, "They don't make them like they used to." Others reply, "Thank goodness." A great case can be made for the latter when it comes to safety features. Not too long ago, protecting the occupants of a car against injury in a crash boiled down to a massive front bumper and the state-of-the-art pre-collision system was a loud horn. Today, drivers and passengers are far safer, thanks to seat belts and shoulder harnesses, air bags, crumple zones and built-in safety cages. But even those advances are primitive when you consider what's coming. Accident avoidance technology in the form of such things as sensor-equipped adaptive cruise control is already showing up in mid-priced cars and if you check out what's beginning to be installed in higher-end models, you get a fascinating glimpse of the future for the rest of us -- both in the way of improved safety and reduced insurance premiums. Leading the way in 2004 are Hummer and Lexus, both of which are exploiting technology originally designed for military purposes. Hummer has introduced Nightdriver to its H2 line, allowing drivers to see three times farther than with standard headlights. At 60 miles per hour the
Raytheon Company system gives the driver up to 15 seconds to react to dangers ahead instead of the average 3.5 seconds standard headlights afford.
It works off sensors that convert temperature differences into electronic signals. The system projects real-time, electronic black-and-white images onto a "head-up display" within the driver's line of sight, so that warm objects such as people, animals and debris are easily identified. GM, Hummer's parent company, has offered a version of the technology -- called Night Vision and priced at $2,250 -- since 1999 in its Cadillac Deville. In the Hummer H2, the manufacturers' suggested retail price is $3,295. Ford's "smartcar" has it all
Night Vision is just one of the many new safety options featured on
Ford's Smart, Safe Research Vehicle (S2RV), a modified Explorer loaded with high-tech safety options.
The S2RV also shows off a camera system that lets you see around larger vehicles in front of you; a second camera system designed to head-off potential accidents; a rear-collision warning system; and a wireless warning proximity system that warns you of a crash before it happens. Ford's unique
TrafficView system is like many other pre-collision systems that enable the driver to see problems ahead of them. But, unlike others, it uses cameras mounted in the side mirrors to let a driver see around large vehicles in front of them by monitoring the cameras in the instrument cluster.
A driver trying to make a left turn at an intersection, for example, often has his vision of oncoming traffic blocked by another car coming from the opposite direction, also trying to turn left. TrafficView allows the driver to see around the vehicle and make the turn safely. It can also let you see around that monster SUV traveling in front of you. The S2RV's accident-avoidance system works off a pair of cameras above the rearview mirror that can spot vehicles ahead or to your side that you may collide with, tracks their position, speed and movement, and assesses the risk. If the system senses trouble, it sounds a warning and tightens the safety belts. The rear collision system works on sensors mounted in the rear bumper and warns the driver of any vehicle on a potential collision course from the rear. The wireless proximity warning system works only when both cars are equipped with it and warns both drivers they may be on a collision course. The S2RV is strictly a concept vehicle, but Ford officials expect many of the features to be offered in the company's vehicles within a few years. replacecontent-tcm:8-22048 Systems already available
Back in non-concept vehicle land, Lexus, a division of Toyota, has offered its Night View technology on the LX 470 for a year, and plans to expand it to its flagship LS 430 model starting in March 2004.
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