The car that could save your life

 

It seems there will soon be no limit to what our cars can do without our intervention. Five years ago, the idea of cars being able to detect pedestrians in the road or slow down to match another vehicle's speed, was the preserve of top-end Mercedes S-class saloons. 

Now though, everyday cars are being trialled with technology that could substantially reduce the number of collisions on our roads. Ford has demonstrated a prototype Focus which is capable of detecting slow-moving or stationary objects in the road ahead, and taking evasive action if it does not recognise the driver reacting in time. 

The system uses multiple technologies to ensure it is always capable of detecting obstacles ahead. Ultrasound and Radar emitters mounted in the bonnet combine with a high-definition camera equipped with sophisticated imaging software mounted behind the rear-view mirror to provide the car with a complete picture of the road ahead, at a range of up to 200m. 

Ford says that the system has been tested to prevent the car manoeuvring out of its lane if there are any oncoming vehicles. 

If the car notices an obstacle and does not detect that the driver has applied the brakes or altered course, it is capable of automatically braking and steering to avoid a crash. 

Ford says that the technology is currently under review, and that the results of the programme will be assessed at the end of the year. Research from 2011 showed that rear-end collisions accounted for 400,000 accidents in the UK every year - one in four accidents - and were on the increase. 

Another prototype demonstrated by Ford is capable of self-parking at the touch of a button. With the automatic parking system enabled, the car will scan parking bays for empty spaces. You can then hop out, hit a button on the keys and let the car do the rest. The car will even leave the space by itself if you choose, stopping once safely out of the space to let you jump in. 

You can watch a video of the self-parking Ford Focus here. Currently, the technology only works on bay parking - so we will have to wait for them to fix that awkward parallel park.