Advanced Driver Assistance Technology

The annual Department of Transport road accident statistics are tragic and depressing. These accidents wreck lives, destroy families, create financial havoc and stress the NHS system.

Soon all new vehicles will be fitted with Advanced Driver Assistance Technology, designed to significantly reduce the number of deaths and injuries.

Find out more in Micro Mart issue 1229, out today.

Here are a few extracts:

Figures released for the UK from the Department for Transport (DoT) make depressing reading. In 2011 almost 2,000 people lost their lives due to road accidents, a figure that includes over 450 pedestrian and 107 cyclists. This exceeds the death toll from four jumbo jet crashes. Widen the scope to European roads and the number of fatalities climbs to tens of thousands.

UK injury statistics are much higher still. DoT's 2011 figure for reported car occupant injuries was just under 125,000, with more than 8,000 of those being serious in nature. The road-related injuries suffered by pedestrians and cyclists are just as depressing at over 8,000 a year - that's over 150 every week.

Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) systems continuously monitor the scene directly in front of a car and use smart software to ascertain if a collision is likely to occur. If there's cause for concern the driver will receive some kind of audio-visual warning of an impending accident. In the event a driver fails to take the necessary action and the situation becomes critical, the AEB system will act independently of the driver, applying the brakes to perform an emergency stop.

LIDAR uses light beams to offer a lower cost alternative to radar. These beams illuminate the scene and a receiver captures the light reflected back from any objects. In this way it can ascertain an object's shape, size and distance information. LIDAR isn't restricted to visible light. Ultraviolet, near infrared and laser beams can be used for improved range and low-light imaging. This capability means LIDAR is routinely found in surveying instruments, archeology equipment and onboard aircraft and satellites.

Volvo is well known for its safety focus. So, you probably won't be too surprised to know it is one of the leaders in AEB research and implementation. Some models, such as the XC60, S60 and V60 have had AEB options since 2008. However, did you know Audi, Ford, Honda, Jaguar, Lexus, Mercedes and VW all offer AEB-installation options. Two mainstream examples are the highly popular Ford Focus and the Volkswagen Up.

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