Friday, August 17, 2012
Don’t get distracted by pedestrians
Do you find that in the summer you can’t stop looking at pedestrians?You’re not alone – but you should really try and avoid getting distracted by scantily-clad people and focus your attentions on the road.
Apparently, according to a car insurance company survey, 60% of men and 12% of women have taken their eyes off the road in order to…admire the view.
Amazingly, 21% of motorists even admitted that billboard models cause them to become distracted from the road too!
A large number of traffic accidents are caused every year by road users who were not giving the road their full attention – so it’s important that we drivers learn some self-control.
It would seem that’s not as easy for some as it is for others though. Reportedly, 17% of male motorists knew that this behaviour was dangerous but couldn’t help looking anyway.
Come on drivers – let’s try harder! There’s plenty of time to people watch when you’re not behind the wheel.
Photo © Crystian Cruz via Flickr, under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: car insurance, dangerous, distracted, driver, motorist, pedestrians, road, summer, traffic accident, wheel
Monday, March 5, 2012
Intel to invest $100 million in “smarter cars”
In science fiction the car is usually so much more than just another vehicle. These models sometimes come with extras like holographic interfaces, on board AI and even in one crazy case – a flux capacitor.
Needless to say, we can only dream about most of this technology...or could it soon become a reality?Chipmaker company Intel, is introducing a $100 million fund to finance technological innovation within the vehicle industry.
Over the next three to five years, Intel will invest in hardware, software and services companies which will provide in-car apps and establish connectivity between other vehicles and devices.
Intel hopes their investment will lead to a new line of vehicles which are wirelessly linked together. For example, if a driver notices a traffic accident, he may be able to send a warning to other motorists in the immediate area.
The company is also planning to improve driver safety by integrating technologies such as gesture detection, text to speech voice recognition and eye tracking into upcoming vehicles.
Agreements are already in place between several car companies, such as BMW, Hyundai, Toyota and Kia, who all want new technology incorporated into their vehicles.
For those drivers who like to personalise their cars, Intel has already employed social anthropologists to examine other possibilities, including the introduction of soothing lighting and music to calm stressed motorists while on the road.
Photo © Robert Couse-Baker via Flickr under Creative Commons Licence
Labels: driver safety, Intel, Science Fiction, technology, traffic accident, voice recognition