The Role of Technology in Automobile Safety :: exploratoty essay research paper

Safety in automobiles always seems to be a bear-sized concern for both car manufacturers and buyers alike. While airbags and anti-lock breaks have become a common, yet useful commodity, the increasing role that technology is playing in the ontogenesis of cars truly shows its potential with these in-the-works safety features. Night VisionNight Vision is a system that uses infr ared cameras to help drivers see much farther distances at night while driving. Many different companies are each working on different designs of night vision, but they all have similar ideas. thither are several mirrors with little cameras in them placed throughout the car. There is a lightsensing element inside the mirror which is also heat sensitive. Warmer objects, such(prenominal) as people or animals, appear white, while cooler objects, like buildings or trees, appear as various shades of gray or black. The mirrors are also programmed to automatically darken to reduce the glare of oncoming cars. On a clea r night, some systems have been able to detect objects more than 1500 feet onward which is almost four times as far as a driver foundation normally see. The only problem with the program is that it isnt as authorized during precipitation. The images arent as detailed as they normally are. Collision RadarResearchers from Intelligent Vehicle Initiative, a partnershipd between the U.S. Department of Transportation and automobile industries are qualification advances on systems which, if successful, can tell you if youre about to run off the road or hit another car. The system is a pretty complicated manifestation of lasers which are set all over the vehicle. Since there are always blindspots, the idea is that the lasers compare the path of your car to the paths and speeds of the vehicles around you. If something is your cars path, collision radar systems can warn you and calculate the distance you have to stop. A camera is even programmed to look for painted lines on the road to d etermind if you are off center or drifting into another lane. Some advanced systems will even be able to detect lines when snow is covering the ground.