Tour the Latest Car Technology Showcases Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is well known as an exhibitor of televisions, phones and quirky tech, but this year it also provided showcases for cutting-edge automotive technology. As the pandemic halted sales, these innovations became even more attractive for drivers.
Harman’s Ready Display interface strives to enhance the screens in your car by promising true blacks, vibrant hues and increased clarity.
Adaptive Headlights
Adaptive headlights have become ubiquitous across a range of vehicles from Ford Pumas and Rolls-Royce Phantoms, with some manufacturers providing multiple grades of this technology. Systems employing mirrors can redirect headlight beams around rain or snow while others automatically dim high beams when approaching oncoming traffic.
These systems enable drivers to see more of the road at night without blinding other drivers, potentially decreasing accidents. Furthermore, these lights may illuminate road hazards more rapidly than conventional headlights do and thus allow faster responses without resorting to abrupt brake application or swerve maneuvers in an effort to dodge objects on the roadway.
Adaptive headlights can widen their beam to illuminate other lanes when preparing to change lanes, as well as bend around curves to highlight hazards such as stalled cars or deer before it’s too late. While adaptive headlights are useful tools, they cannot take the place of safe driving practices; drivers still must keep their focus on the road without looking down at infotainment systems or phones while driving.
Lane Departure Warning
A lane departure warning system uses radar-style technology to monitor road surfaces for signs that your car is about to cross an invisible or solid line and warns you – usually by sounding an audible beep or displaying a dashboard message – so that corrective actions may be taken quickly and correctly. Some systems even assist by steering it back into its proper lane if accidental drift occurs.
Lane departure warning systems work best when driving at speeds over 30 mph on well-kept roads with clear markings, in good weather conditions. They may not work as effectively if using your turn signal to change lanes; additionally they won’t activate when changing lanes using turn signal signals.
Consider installing a lane departure warning system with lane centering assist or keep assist capabilities to help avoid accidents by keeping the car within the center of the lane without driver intervention and even applying brakes if another vehicle approaches too closely.
Collision Avoidance
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) describes these technologies as an “revolution in vehicle safety.” Using sensors and cameras to detect obstructions such as obstructions in lanes or road markers and more, these technologies can warn the driver about potential collisions and even act to prevent them by either braking or steering the vehicle away.
Collision avoidance systems can reduce rear-end, run-off-road, and lane change accidents while simultaneously decreasing distracted driving behaviors and teaching drivers safe driving practices. Some advanced features use radar, camera, and laser technology to keep an eye on a vehicle’s surroundings.
Your local automotive enhancement retailer can retrofit many safety systems into almost any car, truck or SUV using its existing sensors to enable an enhanced driver response time and blind spot visibility system. The NHTSA recommends collision avoidance systems in all vehicles in order to save lives and prevent injuries; and The Highway Loss Data Institute has associated these technologies with reduced claim frequency.
Blind Spot Detection
Sensor-based systems use sensors to detect cars or objects that you can’t see from your side mirrors, alerting drivers via their side-view mirror or dashboard screen with a warning when unsafe changing lanes is imminent. Advanced systems that sync up with your turn signal also give audible warning when changing lanes is no longer safe.
Some manufacturers employ cameras in place or addition to sensor technology. Volvo’s BLIS with Steering Assist system, for instance, can actually steer your SUV back into its lane should it detect that changing lanes is about to cause collision with another vehicle.
Mobileye Shield+ goes one step further by continuously monitoring your surroundings, looking out for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians or cyclists that might be hiding in your blind spot and alerting you of their presence. This feature is particularly helpful when driving large trucks with larger blind spots; however, even with this technology in place it’s important that drivers still check their mirrors or glance over their shoulder prior to switching lanes.