Intelligent driving systems are becoming more and more important not only for the automotive industry, but also for society.
Intelligent car safety
These systems promise to be the future of road driving. Intelligent vehicles or autonomous cars will be commonplace on the roads of the future, although it is true that there is still a long way to go before this becomes a reality. There are many unknowns, especially among the general public, about this type of vehicle, and about the technologies incorporated in these intelligent cars and their impact on road safety and mobility.
Intelligent vehicles are cars that have built-in technology that can make decisions that modify driving, making it safer both for the occupants of the car and for other cars on the road. There are several variables to define a smart car, but, for example, automatic gearboxes are already considered to be technology incorporated into smart cars, as it is the vehicle itself that makes the decision to upshift or downshift gears, depending on multiple variables such as speed, the inclination of the road or revolutions.
Intelligent roads
Another important link is that between intelligent cars and road safety. Today´s cars already incorporate a few elements that increase safety and consequently reduce the overall accident rate, especially in smart cars. All the camera systems integrated in smart cars, which allow the driver to have a 360-degree view around the vehicle, are a clear example of what smart cars and road safety mean, leading to a decrease in accident rates.
Work is currently underway to incorporate decision algorithms in smart cars, allowing them to make decisions independently of the driver. The clearest example is lane change systems when the smart car detects an obstacle on the road. The algorithm has a better and faster response rate than a human one, reducing accident rates.
Traffic accidents in smart cars
The advantage of reducing the accident rate in smart cars compared to traditional vehicles is not only the benefit of reduced accident rates or increased road safety. Insurance companies consider the accident rate as a factor in the insurance policy; if we own a smart car, the insurance company´s proposal will be better for a smart car than for a traditional car.
The technological advance of this type of vehicle is unstoppable, but not unique. Work is also being done to integrate this type of vehicle into so-called “intelligent roads”, roads that allow the monitoring of the vehicles that circulate on them, eliminating any type of potential accident.
Intelligent vehicles are not a thing of the future, they are already on our roads.
