Latest statistical figures suggest that 5,977 pedestrians lost their lives throughout the United States in 2017. Traffic crashes accounted for the death of one pedestrian every 88 minutes. This means that each day, more than sixteen pedestrians lose their lives. There were a total of 5,890 traffic crashes that caused one or more pedestrian fatalities.
With the evolution of modern technology, car manufacturers and suppliers around the world have engaged themselves in developing a wide range of accident prevention systems. However, most of these systems are focused largely on protecting the individuals within the car, not those outside.
At present, with the awareness of the US’s pedestrian safety crisis, the need for technologies to save pedestrians from car accidents has gained greater urgency. Accordingly, automobile companies are pursuing many different systems to protect the pedestrians.
Automatic Braking System: Almost all major automobile manufacturers in the country have voluntarily committed inclusion of automatic emergency braking systems in all new vehicles as standard technology by 2022.
Bosch, an acclaimed German supplier, has already developed a system to detect cyclists and pedestrians within a radius of twenty meters using cameras and radars. This system takes less than a second for deploying automatic emergency braking. The technology continuously monitors the scene to the sides and in front of the vehicle. As soon as a pedestrian prepares to cross the street, the scene is assessed thirty times per second by its algorithms,and a decision is made about whether triggering the emergency stopping maneuver is necessary or not. This system has already been rolled out successfully in thousands of vehicles in Europe.
Vehicle-to-infrastructure: Automobile safety experts suggest that one of the best ways to promote pedestrian safety is to enable our cars to communicate with road equipment, and vice-versa.
Well-known supplier, Continental, is currently engaged in efforts to create a system capable of detecting pedestrians and conveying this information to all the cars in that specific area by transmitting signals using short-range wireless communication. In these systems, pole mounted wireless sensors are used to send signals to the drivers if there is a pedestrian in the road. Signals are sent even if the pedestrian is out of view or around a corner. Popular luxury car Cadillac recently became the first car in the U.S. to offer the option.
Advanced infotainment: Distracted driving has always been a leading factor behind pedestrian injuries and deaths due to car accidents. Unfortunately, things have become worse with the advent of touch-screen infotainment systems, which makes it difficult for the drivers to stay focused on the road.
In order to address this issue, many automakers and suppliers around the world are working on augmented-reality systems that will project directions on the windshield of the vehicle. The drivers will be able project GPS, fuel, speed, and all other essential control parameters on the screen. These full screen projections could ensure that the drivers are no longer need to take their eyes off the road.
Improved headlights: Improving pedestrian safety may not always be about the use of the latest technology. Sometimes, more focus on automobile designing basics such as headlight performance can make a serious difference. The need for improved headlights is evident from the fact that about 75 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur at night.
The good news is that many companies are now coming up with high-performance headlights that are capable of reducing glare by automatically controlling lighting dispersal. Similarly, we also have the option of using headlights that allows the pedestrians to see the vehicles better without blurring their vision.
Fully self-driving systems: It can’t be denied that self-driving cars are currently the most debatable topic in the automobile industry. Many technology companies, as well as, renowned automakers are pursuing vehicles that are capable of driving themselves. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is extremely hopeful that self-driving cars will meet the ambitious goal of eliminating all road accident related casualties within the next three decades.
