Telematics companies including Continental Automotive Systems are developing sensors that detect dangerous conditions nearby and will use the information to warn drivers and other vehicles.
Continental spoke yesterday about how sensors can look for obstacles in the road ahead and provide audio or visual warnings to drivers to slow down or move out of the way. Most helpful will be emergency vehicles that can relay messages about hazardous road conditions and tell other vehicles or traffic signals to make way.
Enabling police vehicles or ambulances to notify traffic signals to go to green as they approach an intersection would clearly boost safety and reduce the time to assist persons in need. But can you imagine the black market for such a device?
This technology could also be used to reduce fuel consumption through traffic signals that automatically change to green for drivers if traffic is not approaching from a perpendicular direction. Imagine the tons of greenhouse gases that could be eliminated if drivers could cruise through every empty intersection instead of idling for no reason.
Source: Oakland Press
