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toolkit Guardian Gadgets Vehicle saftey goes high-tech by Lindsey Norris DECADES AGO, consumers were more likely to be sold on a car's luxury options than its safety features. But today, safety is chic, and car companies are wooing buyers with a growing cache of advanced technologies that can help prevent collisions. Keeping in mind that the majority of crashes result from inattention to what is going on and overconfidence in the driver or car's abilities, here's a roundup of some of the newest of these high-tech safety options. LANE-DEPARTURE WARNING SYSTEMS Initially developed to prevent drowsy long-haul commercial drivers from veering off the road, and now available in consumer vehicles, this system beeps, vibrates or flashes when a vehicle starts to leave its lane. The sensors rely on a camera to detect lane markings, so mud or snow may decrease effectiveness. ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL When using cruise control, it can be dangerously easy to creep up on the bumper of the vehicle in front. But with radar and laser cruise control, sensors adjust a car's speed to maintain a set distance behind other vehicles. More advanced versions of this technology use a vehicle's navigation system to control speed in turns. ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL Tailor-made for northern B.C.'s icy roads, electronic stability control (ESC) is a step up from traction control, which has long prevented drivers from making a bad skid worse. Studies show that ESC reduces crashes by a third – by detecting lapses in driver control, applying the brakes to individual wheels to correct skids and then reducing engine power. Transport Canada now requires all passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles, trucks and buses manufactured on or after September 1, 2011, (with a GVW rating of 4,536 kg or less) to have ESC. TELEMATICS These networked dashboard computing systems (General Motors' OnStar is one example) can provide GPS navigation support, automatically connect to an operator in the event of a crash, enable external control of a stolen vehicle or even unlock doors remotely. They can also read emails aloud and check stock quotes, though these cognitive functions compete with the driving brain's most important task: driving. NIGHT VISION Using thermal imaging, the car detects and displays on the dashboard's LCD screen any heat-emitting objects – joggers, cyclists, wildlife – up to 300 metres ahead of the car, well beyond the reach of headlights. Of course, motorists still need to be travelling at a speed that allows for enough reaction time. BLIND-SPOT ASSIST In a hurry to change lanes, a driver might skimp on that shoulder check and nearly drive into a vehicle in the left lane. Blind-spot assist helps avoid such near-misses, or worse, with flashing lights in side-view mirrors that escalate to a vibrating steering wheel when motorists persist in dangerous lane changes. Of course, though the technology is widely available in everything from Jeep Cherokees to Range Rovers, no computer system can totally replace the reliability of one's eyesight during a timely shoulder check. Ford Motor Company, (bottom right) iStock p45_Toolkt.indd 45 WESTWORLD >> W I N T E R 2 0 1 1 45 10/25/11 12:08:48 PM

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