Smart Cars

Reported January 2007

BERKELEY, Calif. (Ivanhoe Broadcast News) -- Five grand, 15 grand, 50 grand -- you get what you pay for in a car. But a sweet ride doesn't guarantee a safe ride.

"The primary problem, or the primary issue, is the driver," Jim Misener, M.S., a transportation safety researcher at University of California, Berkeley, tells Ivanhoe.

What if cars could pick up signals that could save your life, know when to stop, know when there's been an accident, even know when it's safe to turn? Sounds far out, but smart cars are closer than you may think.

Making the driver more alert is what researchers at UC Berkeley are doing by using the latest WiFi technology. "Cars talking to one another, the environment or the roadside talking and listening to cars," Misener says.

Smart cars are combining with smart roads. Transmitters along the road beam up wireless signals to a receiver on the car. An alert flashes inside the car.

"Basically it measures the interaction between all road users at that particular intersection," Misener says. "So it certainly is the oncoming car, it's your car, and includes pedestrians and bicyclists."

As a car approaches, the screen on a smart car's dashboard flashes a red arrow when it's not safe to turn. A warning arrow also appears on a sign alongside the road. This same system is used to warn a driver when it's not safe to enter an intersection. Vehicles can also transmit traffic and road condition information.

Car companies are working to implement systems like this in their new cars. They also hope to be able to use these systems to notify drivers of warranty or recall needs.

"All we're doing is informing or alerting or warning the driver. The driver is still responsible," Misener says. But now, thanks to human factors research, drivers will have a little more help to get them where they're going -- safely.

The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society contributed to the information contained in the TV portion of this report.

Click here to Go Inside This Science or contact:

James Misener
Transportation Engineer
University of California, Berkeley
(510) 665-3612
misener@path.berkeley.edu

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Santa Monica, CA 90406
(310) 394-1811
http://www.hfes.org

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