Technology Addresses Top Highway Safety Threats
Our society suffers from the many car accidents that occur every year. In an effort to protect its citizens, the government has begun to speed up research on technologies that would prevent many of these accidents.
Joan Lowy, of the Associated Press, reports that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently researching the following three (3) technologies: collision avoidance, seat belt interlocks, and driver alcohol detection systems. David Strickland, the administrator of the NHTSA, argued that these technologies address the “top three highway safety threats” and that they “have the potential to significantly decrease those deaths.”
The seat belt interlocks is a type of technology that would prevent vehicles from being driven when a passenger or driver is not properly buckled in. The issue that has come up is whether automakers could use the new interlocks systems to satisfy the current safety regulations. The NHTSA is currently debating this issue. The Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety and the NHTSA, have teamed up to research the in-vehicle technology that would prevent alcohol-impaired driving.
This newly researched technology differs from some of the old detection systems because the driver does not need to take an additional step. In other words, the newly researched technology detects the blood alcohol level of the driver by a simple touch of the steering wheel, start button, or through a small air sample. The collision avoidance system is currently being researched by the NHTSA. This system is part of a broader research program conducted by the NHTSA called Crash Avoidance Research Areas. Among the collision avoidance system, the NHTSA conducts research on vehicle rollovers, stability control, visibility, braking, and tire technologies. Even though the government is currently hard at work developing and implementing these technologies, car accidents are still unfortunately very common.
If you have been injured in a car accident, please call Rubenstein Law at 1-800-FL-LEGAL. Our firm has offices in Miami-Dade, Broward, West Palm Beach, and Orlando.
