If you or someone you know has ever been in a crash at an intersection, you're not alone. More than 40,000 deaths occur in the United States due to traffic fatalities. Approximately 40 percent of all traffic accidents and 20 percent of crash related fatalities happen at intersections. Ford Motor Company is researching ways to help drivers avoid crashing these types of accidents.
to hear audio. Use right mouse click to download.Cut# 1:
|
"We're looking for the next big thing in safety technologies." :03 |
|
|
That is Joe Stinnett, Ford product design engineer involved in active safety research. Joe says the "smart Intersection" is where technology and innovation cross paths. Ford is using it to research and develop "active" collision avoidance systems that could help reduce accidents, save lives and cut related fuel-wasting congestion. According to the TexasTransportation Institute's 2007 Urban Mobility Report, traffic congestion continues to worsen in American cities of all sizes, annually wasting nearly 3 billion gallons of fuel as recently as 2005. |
| Cut# 2: |
"At the Smart Intersection we have some equipment actually installed at the intersection & that equipment transmits information to your vehicle using a communications link, very similar to WIFI…The FCC has actually allocated a frequency specifically for this project." :12 sec. |
| If a distracted driver is approaching a stop light or stop sign without slowing down, a visual and verbal alert is activated and sounds like this… | |
| The ultimite goal is to prevent intersection collisions. | |
| Cut# 3: |
"What we're hoping to prove here is we're giving alerts to drivers who are distracted for any number of means, whether it was the sun in their eyes, and 18-wheeler was in front of them and they didn't see the traffic light change or any other level of distraction." |
|
Cut# 4:
|
"Like I said that's something we're working on with the Department of Transportation and NHTSA on they're very interested in helping reduce traffic accidents, fatalities at these intersections and this is a key technology enabler to be able to do that." :10 sec. |
Experts predict global populations will migrate to urban centers in large numbers. The U.S. National Intelligence Council predicts about two-thirds of the world will be living in city regions by 2015, which may increase the risk of accidents at busy intersections. According to Stinnett, the smart intersection technology can transmit many different types of information active safety systems in vehicles. |
| Cut# 5: |
"The information that is provided is not just limited to traffic light information, you could get information concerning a pedestrian crosswalk or a school zone you're approaching and you need to slow down, so with the wireless communication link, any amount of information is available to you and it enables a whole wealth of safety applications." :18 sec. |
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recent data indicates 84 percent of fatalities in signalized intersections and 37 percent of fatalities in stop sign junctions occurred in urban settings, with a vast majority of th fatalities being vehicle occupants. |