Photo: IIHS
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration in the U.S. estimates that traffic fatalities have increased 13% in 2021 versus the previous year, and bicycle traffic fatalities increased 5% in the same window. With technology constantly evolving, we must use it to find ways to decrease these numbers as best we can.
One of the many companies investing in technological research regarding traffic safety is Ford. Ford Motor Co. is researching a new smartphone-based communication tech that could warn drivers of incoming crashes.
The company is a founding member of VRUSC (Vulnerable Road User Safety Consortium), a program formed by vehicle, bicycle, ridesharing, and tech companies. It aims to find solutions to avoid crashes with pedestrians, bicyclists, and others.
Newer Ford vehicles already feature the Ford Co-Pilot360 Technology, which can detect other road users and apply brakes if the driver doesn't react in time. Jim Buczkowski, Executive Director, Research and Advanced Engineering, said, "We are now exploring ways to expand vehicle sensing capability, for areas drivers cannot see, to help people drive even more confidently on roads increasingly shared by others using their two feet or two wheels."
The new concept smartphone app running on a pedestrian's phone uses BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) messaging to share their location to a connected Ford vehicle. Ford SYNC will alert the driver by displaying graphics of people at risk and sounding audio alerts if there's a potential crash hazard. This week, the technology will be demonstrated at the Intelligent Transportation Society of America's World Congress in Los Angeles.
BLE is widely used in personal electronic devices and has become part of our everyday lives, but applications typically involve pairing two devices. However, the concept app uses BLE as a beacon and can sense other equipped devices in range without pairing. A downside is that people will have to download the app to benefit from the technology, so it must be heavily popularized to work effectively.
Buczkowski said it has other possible applications, including detecting road construction zones and construction workers.
The company is a founding member of VRUSC (Vulnerable Road User Safety Consortium), a program formed by vehicle, bicycle, ridesharing, and tech companies. It aims to find solutions to avoid crashes with pedestrians, bicyclists, and others.
Newer Ford vehicles already feature the Ford Co-Pilot360 Technology, which can detect other road users and apply brakes if the driver doesn't react in time. Jim Buczkowski, Executive Director, Research and Advanced Engineering, said, "We are now exploring ways to expand vehicle sensing capability, for areas drivers cannot see, to help people drive even more confidently on roads increasingly shared by others using their two feet or two wheels."
The new concept smartphone app running on a pedestrian's phone uses BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) messaging to share their location to a connected Ford vehicle. Ford SYNC will alert the driver by displaying graphics of people at risk and sounding audio alerts if there's a potential crash hazard. This week, the technology will be demonstrated at the Intelligent Transportation Society of America's World Congress in Los Angeles.
BLE is widely used in personal electronic devices and has become part of our everyday lives, but applications typically involve pairing two devices. However, the concept app uses BLE as a beacon and can sense other equipped devices in range without pairing. A downside is that people will have to download the app to benefit from the technology, so it must be heavily popularized to work effectively.
Buczkowski said it has other possible applications, including detecting road construction zones and construction workers.
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