GM Researching Windshields For Old Drivers

beuges writes "General Motors researchers are working on a high-tech windshield that users lasers and infra-red sensors to identify and enhance important objects for older drivers with vision problems. 'For example, during a foggy drive, a laser projects a blue line onto the windshield that follows the edge of the road. Or if infrared sensors detect a person or animal in the driver's path during a night drive, its outline is projected on the windshield to highlight its location.' And it's not only older drivers who will benefit: 'Some features would be helpful to drivers of all ages. If a driver is speeding, a pink box frames an approaching speed limit sign to draw the driver's attention.' The 65 and older population in the US will nearly double in about 20 years, meaning more people will be struggling to see the road like they used to."

Comments

Re:There are even more features

[Anonymous Coward]

It made me giggle.

Re:Really could be helpful for all ages...

[mellon]

I have had experiences like that, yes. However, a system that allows you to avoid them would actually be very dangerous. When you are that sleepy, you aren't far from simply falling asleep at the wheel.

A friend of mine recently fell asleep while driving and drove off into the desert at 80mph, flipping the car and requiring subsequent hospitalization, although thankfully not a funeral.

Consider pulling over (someplace safe, of course!) and taking a nap rather than continuing to drive in circumstances like this. It could save your life. Even a short nap will make a big difference.

Re:For older drivers, this is the wrong solution.

[techno-vampire]

It is the DIFFERENCE in speed that is much more important. If the regular flow of traffic is 75 and there is someone insisting on driving 55, then it is a great safety hazard.

And that's why Alive at 55 specifies keeping over to the right, with the rest of the slow traffic. You drive at a speed that's safer for you and keep out of the way of the younger, faster drivers so as not to cause a hazard or obstruct traffic.

Re:For older drivers, this is the wrong solution.

[evilviper]

If the speed limit is 60, 65, or 70, and that person can't drive (at least) the speed limit, then they really shouldn't be on the road, regardless of the lane.

Either you don't drive, or you're absolutely oblivious to the world around you when you do... The speed limit is the maximum, not the minimum.

In CA, the speed limit for trucks is 55 MPH, and often, they don't all get up to even that speed. Elsewhere, load weight, terrain, and aerodynamic drag naturally limit loaded trucks to speeds not much faster than that. Staying in the far right lane, with the slower trucks will indeed allow you to keep-up with the flow of traffic going just 55MPH.