It has recently been revealed that around 1.25 million people around the world lose their lives every year because of vehicle accidents. According to Huffington Post (News - Alert), road accidents could emerge as the seventh most common killer worldwide by 2030, if adequate preventive measures are not implemented.
The overall state of road safety has already improved significantly over the last few years, with the implementation of advanced technology. The good news is that more new technological innovations with different purposes and functions are rapidly increasing. Mentioned below are some of the most important technological innovations in road safety.
Vehicle Safety: In the last few years, we have seen several advances in vehicle safety including electronic stability control, mounted brake lights, child safety seats, airbags, improved seatbelts, and much more. According to statistical data, an estimated 600,000 lives have been saved all over the United States in the last thirty years by the use of the safety devices mentioned above. Many more similar innovations will be in use in the near future.
Smarter vehicles: Increased connectivity can be of great help, as it can alert the drivers about traffic conditions ahead. This can also connect the drivers to emergency services, whenever required. As a result, the overall road safety is expected to improve, while reducing traffic congestion significantly.
Data collection points: Unfortunately, in many parts of the world, adequate data related to road safety and crashes is not available. Information such as availability of trauma care, drunk driving statistics, use of seat belts, average driving speed, and others can help analyze the most critical road safety challenges, and address the problems in specific locations.
Use of Apps: It is a well known fact that distracted driving is one of the leading causes of road accidents. In the United States, about 10% of all highway accident related deaths can be attributed to distracted driving. Many companies have now come up with mobile applications that are designed to help drivers by silencing all incoming calls, as well as, message notifications, during the transit.
Artificial Intelligence: It is widely accepted that a high percentage of road deaths are caused by human errors in different forms, such as illegalities, poor decision making, lack of confidence, overconfidence, or lack of certain skills. Artificial intelligence is an extremely popular technology that can significantly decrease the number of road deaths by tackling these specific issues.
With the emergence of self-driving cars, road safety is expected to increase by reducing human control. However, this topic is currently being debated by the experts and legal authorities all over the world.
Telematics: This is another extremely promising technology that can significantly reduce human error. When fitted into a car, devices such as Black Box (News - Alert) can measure vehicle related data, such as locations, braking, speeds, etc. Black boxes encourage the drivers to drive responsibly as the drivers know that all their driving related data is being recorded. Moreover, the recorded data can be monitored by the authorities to determine how an individual drives his or her car.
Adaptive Cruise Control: These technology enabled products allow the drivers to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front and behind their vehicle. This technology makes use of radar and a camera placed behind the rear view mirror, and reacts faster than the driver to automatically slow the car down, if necessary.
Advanced Lighting Systems: Automobile lighting technology has experienced significant advances in recent years. Now, many of us are familiar with lights that can move and turn freely according to the turns in the road. Similarly, many manufacturers have already come up with headlights that minimize the probability of road accidents by not blinding the oncoming driver from the opposite direction.
