Will in-car crash avoidance technology curb car accidents?

There are a variety of things that Madison County residents can do to avoid getting into a dangerous car accident. These include driving a safe motor vehicle, avoiding distraction, following the traffic rules and never getting behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Of course, even when a driver does everything right, he or she can become the victim of a car accident because of someone else’s failure to drive responsibly.

For this reason, automakers are busy equipping cars with crash-avoidance technology that is meant to allow the cars to encourage safer driving. Tests have been underway in the U.S. for some time now to determine whether equipping cars with warning systems and communication tools will reduce car accidents, and now Toyota Motor Corp. has launched a large test of this sort in Japan.

Toyota has installed systems in vehicles that allow vehicles to communicate not only with each other but also with sensors and transmitters right on the roadways. The technology is now being tested inside a facility, and the automaker hopes to complete road tests in 2014–possibly some here in the U.S.

The crash-avoidance technologies allow sensors on the roads to transmit information directly to vehicles about traffic lights, cars hiding out in blind spots and pedestrians. The vehicles will also transmit information between each other.

For example, if a car is nearing a red light, a voice will notify the driver about the light. This way, the driver has both verbal and visual cues to stop the vehicle. The cars will also chime to alert drivers to the presence of pedestrians.

The automaker is hopeful about the technology reducing the accident rates within intersections.

Of course, even if cars themselves become better at helping drivers make safe decisions, as of now the cars cannot actually make the decisions for the drivers. Some drivers may still give into distraction or ignore warning signs and chimes. Drivers who are negligent behind the wheel can be held liable for injuries they cause to others.

Source: Chicago Sun-Times, “Toyota tests cars that communicate with each other,” Nov. 12, 2012

• Our law firm helps victims of car accidents recover compensation for the treatment of their injuries, lost wages and pain and suffering. Additional information about our practice is available on our Madison County, Illinois, Accident Injury page.