Automotive
Never another accident. Could it be true?
Safety and technology experts say a new traffic revolution is near — an era when there will be few if any traffic accidents. Maybe even few traffic jams.
Such are the promises of the Connected Car.
The connected car will be part of the Internet of Things (IoT), the same technologies that connect appliances, like a refrigerator, to the internet.
But this technology stands to do more than just tell you how much milk you have left.
The connected car will probably become a hub, with different devices in the car sending data to satellites, traffic hubs and mapping systems, according to mouser.com. There are already more than 100 sensors in new cars that provide humans with comfort and safety information.
What if that car information could be combined with data on destination, driver expertise, to create an intelligent transportation system?
It’s possible that motorists would no longer spend hours in traffic if cars were connected to transportation hubs to sort traffic, head off accidents and find clearer roads. This would be no small accomplishment. According to Texas A&M Transportation Institute, U.S. commuters waste 38 hours per year stuck in traffic. That’s double in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. According to a report for the American Automobile Association (AAA), fuel and man-hours in traffic jams wasted $98 billion in 2011.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, connected vehicles could reduce crashes by 80 percent.
About 40 connected vehicle systems are being constructed (or actually working now) in various urban and rural areas, according to NHTS.
These connected vehicles are being studied for their response at intersections, red lights, curves, work zones, transit bus stops, and pedestrian crosswalks and signals.
