A pedestrian is injured every eight minutes in a motor vehicle crash, a number that has increased over the years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has linked this increase in injuries to a global influx pedestrians who simultaneously walk and text aka petextrians. Combined with the rise of distracted driving due to smartphones, created a massive new safety problem for both drivers and pedestrians.
To battle this issue, Ford created Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection for the 2017 Ford Fusion. The vehicle uses radar and camera technology to scan the roadway ahead of the vehicle for collision risks. If a risk is detected, the vehicle will provide visual and audio warnings, along with muting the driver’s audio system. If there is no reaction from the driver to the warnings, the technology will apply the vehicle’s full braking power to reduce the severity of and potentially eliminate a frontal collision.
The technology only works in daylight and clear weather conditions at speeds up to 50 miles per hour, but testing is being conducted to improve the technology. Ford has also developed a variety of driver-assisting technologies, including lane-keeping assist, Blind Spot Information System with cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, and hands-free parallel and perpendicular parking.
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