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Radar For Safer Driving
KarmaOverDogma writes "The New York Times reports that in the next few years, auto manufacturers may look to use low powered phased-array radar in the back of cars, in combination with enhanced mirror displays, to help reduce accidents related to so-called 'blind-spots.' The system currently under devlopment is a result of a partnership between Valeo, an auto parts supplier, and Raytheon, a military contractor. They note that according to data from the NHTSA, In the last 10 years such (blind-spot) accidents led to 1.5 million injuries and caused more than $360 billion in damage in the United States alone. With an expected cost of around $500.00 (depending on the configuration), will this low-power radar system from the 1970's really help make driving safer?"
I watch to much Star Trek. When I first read the blurb I thought it said "low power phaser array" and I thought "Man I gotta get me one of those."
It would really come in handy during rush hour though.
Chaos reigns within.
Reflect, repent, and reboot.
Order shall return.
Only if it jams cell phones in the process...
I doubt this will fix the issue of drivers with a 360 degree blind spot...
To Terminate, or not to Terminate, that's the question - SCSIROB
...Seeing as using headlights and turn signals are apparently optional in the State of Washington. Sorry to troll, but as an East-coast transplant here in rain city, I've been meaning to get that off my chest for a while.
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Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
Uh, you know where you are, right?
Know what I like about atheists? I've yet to meet one that believes God is on their side.
But if I turn my head, my cell phone will fall from beneath my chin into the cup of coffee I'm drinking while speeding.
What would make driving safer would be to require better qualifications and a different license class for 5'1" women to drive 12,000 pound, 20-foot trucks in parking lots designed for sedans and hatchbacks.
What would make driving safer would be to require better qualifications and a different license class for 5'1" women to drive trucks with 400 horsepower engines which are utilized primarily to travel the two blocks from the bank to the grocery store at 75MPH, tailgating everyone else on the road all the way.
That would be a start. Yeah, the radar might help too, but then again, perhaps there wouldn't be a ten-yard wide blind spot if a) the windows weren't five feet off the ground and b) if a more sensible vehicle size could be offered, like say, five tons instead of six.
Just a thought.
Business isn't willing to pay for products, innovation and careers, so we get brands, mortgage commercials and layoffs.
Nope, then we will spend all that money against flying cars becuase of all the additional blind spots!
With their radar emissions I'll finally be able to take out obnoxious drivers using my handy-dandy roof rack mounted HARM missiles.
It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
They do teach this in professional driving schools (at least in some.)
But it seems to give most people a warm fuzzy feeling to be able to see the back of their own vehicle in the side mirror. Dunno why, maybe they're afraid it'll just disappear one day and they might not notice without the mirror.
You're right that it's not a very helpful thing to watch when you're in traffic though.
Ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed.
How about... Putting the radar in the FRONT of the car, have a really annoying siren that goes off when the car is going over 50 MPH, and within 3 feet of someone else's rear bumper. The siren would be accompanied by a cell phone jamming signal, and the TV and radio would automatically go off as well. Additionally for the larger cars, a bulkhead would go up between the driver and the rear seats.
This contraption would be mandatory for all trucks, SUVs, souped-up Japanese compacts, and Volvos.
That would cause accidents to drop by about 90% in my estimation.
Lately though, the auto industry has adopted an alternate tactic - instead of making the blind spots too small to hide a vehicle in, make the vehicles too big to hide in the blind spots.
In theory, practice and theory are the same. In practice, they're not.
So, what if some bonehead parks a stealth bomber in the middle of the road?
GAAH! MY PRINTER IS ON FIRE!!! PUT IT OUT! PUT IT OUT!
Well, what is wrong with being from the 70's? A lot of good technologies are from the 70's!
Heck, I'm from the 70's :))
- no sig.
"If God created us in his own image we have more than reciprocated." - Voltaire
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