Smart Cars

This article focuses on features and benefits of intelligent driver assistance systems. A combination of radar and vision systems helps a driver to better sense his/her crash envelope. Using a highway simulation model, research teams have found motorists tending to overcompensate for slowing traffic ahead. The model indicated that 10 percent of the cars fitted with driver assistance would reduce the problem by eliminating excessive braking. Twenty percent of vehicles using such systems would eliminate traffic jams altogether. Delphi aims its roll control system specifically at topple-prone SUVs. Active controls eliminate body roll in corners and during evasive maneuvers. A semi-active version removes the performance compromises that afflict dual-purpose, on-/off-road vehicles. Assist Ware Technology Inc., Wexford, PA, builds an alertness aid that combines lane position monitoring with a road-departure warning. A small video camera watches the road ahead from the dashboard. Any weaving or drifting off track triggers the alarm.