A new study finds that a staggering 40 percent of all traffic accidents and 20 percent of crash related fatalities occur at intersections, but Ford is working on several new technologies that could greatly reduce both statistics.
Just outside the company’s research and development center in Michigan, Ford has installed a number of ‘ smart intersections’, according to Motor Authority. Through the use of GPS and other electronics, the intersections are able to ‘talk’ to specially equipped vehicles and even warn drivers about potential dangers.
The system sends information to the vehicles such as a digital map of the intersection, lane-specific GPS location and even the timing sequence of the traffic light. In addition to these features, the system is able to warn drivers of potential dangers, such as a vehicle that is running a red light.
Ford hopes the technology will eventually be able to save lives on public roads, but the system will only work if all vehicles are operating on the same platform. Therefore, Ford, along with General Motors, Honda , Daimler and Toyota , have entered into the public joint-venture Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP) to create one set of standards.
