There’s good news for people who like to drive while texting, drinking coffee, applying makeup, and playing solitaire on their laptops. General Motors is working on vehicles that partially drive themselves, and expects to have them on the road in a few years.
A combination of sensors, radars, portable communication devices, GPS, and cameras will supply critical information to the car’s computer system. Working with digital maps, the car will concentrate on driving while you do something else.
These emerging technologies are expected to partially or completely take over driving duties, with future generations of the system eliminating crashes altogether by reacting before you’re even aware of a hazardous situation.
GM is already putting some of these advanced safety systems into its vehicles. A lane-departure warning system is available on the Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain, and a side blind-zone alert is available on the Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon and Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban. A host of vehicles, including the Equinox and Terrain, offer back-up cameras.
Eventually the self-driving car will reach out to external sources of information, gathering data from other vehicles, roadways, and traffic signals to warn drivers about possible hazards ahead, including slowed or stalled vehicles, hard-braking drivers, slippery roads, sharp curves, and upcoming stop signs and intersections.
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