Science & Technology


Intelligent Cars — The Smart Way to Go


Hi-tech smart technology for autos is keeping pace with fuel innovations and safety.


p By Peter Greenberg E


ACH YEAR, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DIE FROM AVOIDABLE car accidents — drivers fall asleep at the wheel, they change lanes and hit other cars, they brake too late, they don’t see animals or pedestrians at night, or they speed. And sadly, many are still not wearing their seat belts. Now, thankfully, automakers have recognized that


Peter Greenberg, CBS News’ travel editor, is the author of numerous books under the “Travel Detective” banner. The most recent is Tough Times, Great Travels. He also hosts a weekly syndicated radio program heard around the country.


safety not only works, it sells. And they’re now not just making truly smart cars, but smart cars with a real difference.


In the 1960s automakers sold style. In


the 1970s and ’80s it was design. In the last two decades, gas mileage and safety were the focus. But the safety aspects that were mar- keted were those that might save your life in an accident. That’s certainly welcome — but what about technology that avoids accidents in the fi rst place?


The latest hi-tech cars, from both foreign and U.S. manufacturers, have gone a dra- matic step further. They include technology that goes well beyond anti-locking brakes and air bags, fuel economy, and alternative- powered hybrids. The smart cars being sold today — by everyone from Ford to Audi, from Chevrolet to Mercedes Benz — offer proactive, intuitive systems that anticipate accidents before they happen. And they save lives.


The cars that are achieving these great mile- stones are not just the luxury-priced


cars. This


year, Mercedes is intro- ducing smart car technol- ogy even in its C-class, the company’s entry model. Mercedes calls it


94 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE / SEPTEMBER 2011


“Attention Assist” and it’s standard equipment. This sys- tem can alert you to the fi rst signs of drowsiness, a factor that causes more than 100,000 accidents a year in the United States. A steering sen- is coupled


sor Audi’s infrared night vision


with smart soft- ware that uses 70 parameters to establish a unique driver profi le dur- ing the fi rst 20 minutes of driv- ing. Between 50 and 112 mph, the system identifi es the erratic steering corrections drivers make as they begin to get drowsy and triggers an audible warning — “Time for a break?” — complete with a coffee cup icon that appears in the instrument cluster. The engineers at Audi have gone signifi cantly further. Their cars offer technology that senses the white highway lines. If you start to drift over the lines, the steering wheel starts to shake noticeably. You can’t ignore it. Focused on those pesky blind spots? Audi has intuitive blind-spot detectors. Responsible drivers always look at their rearview and side mirrors before making lane changes, but statistics indicate that just looking at your mirrors isn’t enough. The new Audi system not only detects all your blind spots, but instantly warns you against making lane changes with bright visual alarms within the mirrors. The system also can instantly analyze how fast a car way behind you


Mercedes Benz’s Attention Assist


Fo Au R t


ILLUSTRATION/©SIRUP/DREAMSTIME.COM / BENZ/COURTESY OF MERCEDES BENZ / AUDI/COURTESY OF AUDI


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