Thousands of claims for in-road accidents are submitted each year and the leading injury claim submitted is for whiplash injury. This type of traffic accident occurs during low speed driving with a rear impact collision. In fact, Europe has the title of being the capital of whiplash as millions of pounds of insurance money are claimed each year for this injury alone.
A simple solution for this problem, according to US research from the Georgia Institute of Technology, is with some mathematical calculations. Rear end collisions could easily be avoided with algorithms that are inserted into the computer of a car that will inform the driver if the car that is in front is going slow down. Research shows that a trailing driver’s perception of the leading driver’s speed is usually wrong. They are less capable of calculating the right speed of the car that is in front of them for speeds that is less than 8 mi/hr. That means for slow driving, the trailing car usually miscalculates the true slow speed of the vehicle in front.
From the result of these studies, an early warning system was developed by scientists. This mathematical algorithm of the speed of the front vehicle will hopefully minimize the possibilities of rear end collisions that lead to whiplash injury for the drivers of front vehicles. This new algorithm copies the behavior of the driver and it takes over once a rear vehicle is speeding too quickly to the vehicle in front. This new technology will take some control away from the driver and is now being explored by Mercedes Benz and other high end vehicle manufacturers. This type of algorithm, through researches in Georgia, could be incorporated into a huge range of car brands to reduce the amount of rear end collision cases, and eventually reducing the cases of whiplash.
This algorithm will follow the style of driving and braking of the driver and copies it. It can also put in pre-programmed protocols for safety so the driver would be alerted of the speed and distance of the car in front. This way collision could be avoided. Mercedes Benz also included emergency brakes that will stop the vehicle right before the impact. This is Mercedes’s way of kicking it up a notch over the technology from Georgia researchers.
These safety algorithms could really make a big difference as it could greatly reduce the number of rear-end impacts on our roads especially during low velocity driving. And because these minor car accidents lead to serious whiplash injuries that costs a lot of money, this technology is being improved by the leading research scientists which shows that they do take this problem seriously. Our modern technology is improving and advancing at a great speed. Eventually these problems will be avoided completely through the help of modern gadgets and computer programs.
Please feel free to Post a comment or share your thoughts through Facebook, Twitter or comment section below to join the conversation.
