Building the Zero-Fatality Car

CWmike writes "In the future, new cars might include an appealing sticker: 'This car is rated for zero fatalities.' John Brandon reports that Volvo, for instance, has launched a program called Vision 2020, which states, 'By 2020, nobody shall be seriously injured or killed in a new Volvo.' It includes not just new protective measures in the car, but technology for communicating dangers to and from the car. Other car companies have similar, less formalized programs. As ambitious as it seems, Ed Kim, an analyst at automotive research firm AutoPacific, says the zero-fatality goal is achievable. In the next 10 years, there will be a confluence of safety technologies — such as road-sign recognition, pedestrian detection and autonomous car controls — that lead to safer cars, says Kim. Will your next car look something like this?"

Comments

What?

[neonmonk]

I need a car metaphor.

Re:What?

[TrisexualPuppy]

I need a car metaphor.

So, basically, imagine lots and lots of corporations as cars on a busy Interstate. On one hand, we have SCO which was a tanker truck filled with benzene and toxic sludge going to the nearest creak to offload, but before it got there, it had a catastrophic wreck and burned for a while. As a matter of fact, the sludge was so nasty that it has been burning for several years, and fire crews have not been able to extinguish it.

As for the zero-fatality car, let me put it this way. Since the Interstate (the world-wide work force) is still blocked with toxic sludge and fire (the recession and its causes), nothing is getting done, and Volvo isn't selling as well as it did. In order to appease shareholders temporarily and raise Volvo's stock for the next week or two, Volvo has decided to build a vehicle that not only can withstand any wreck, but since it is zero-fatality, you just can drive right through that fire and toxic sludge and be on your merry way to economic recovery.

Re:What?

[tverbeek]

Will you settle for a ship metaphor?

This is like rating a passenger vessel as "unsinkable".

prior art

[TheSHAD0W]

They can use some of the same technology as was utilized on this motorcycle:

http://biertijd.com/mediaplayer/?itemid=21816

Impossible everywhere but in PRspeak

[complacence]

The zero-fatality car is stationary and has no passenger or pilot space.

NOTICE!

[ae1294]

WARNING: You are exceeding the speed-limit by 5 mph, we will alert the authorities...

WARNING: Your car is overdue for it's monthly maintenance check and will not start after august 1.

WARNING: You took that corner too fast for current conditions, we have alerted the authorities.

WARNING: Your car has exceeded it's 5 year life span and has been terminated. Please contact your dealer for a great deal on a new one.

So what happens when...

[Timothy Brownawell]

...a semi truck falls off of an overpass and lands on top of one?

...a semi truck going 200mph the other direction crosses the median?

...a semi truck going 200mph on the other road runs a red light?

...that logging truck in front of you loses its cargo?

...that banana truck in front of you loses its cargo, and sends you through the guardrail?

...you run out of gas while crossing the train tracks?

...some idiot leaves their kids in one with windows up for "just a couple minutes" during the middle of summer?

...someone decides to carjack you?

Re:There is no zero

[Lord Kano]

Untrue.

How many times have you had sex with a living female human being this week?

Thought so.

Zero fatality car...

[AhabTheArab]

Is that something like the unsinkable Titanic?

Solution Calculated

[Bob9113]

Car: Your ex-husband has a gun. He seems agitated.
Car: His blood pressure is rising, and his pupils are dilated.
Car: Considering prime directive of zero fatalities in a new Volvo...
Car: ...Solution calculated. Please exit the vehicle.

Re:There is no zero

[thePowerOfGrayskull]

Untrue.

How many times have you had sex with a living female human being this week?

Thought so.

I find it curious that you felt it necessary to qualify that in three separate ways: "living", "female", and "human".

Re:In a Volvo?

[tverbeek]

Actually 4 wheels aren't necessary; 2 will suffice.

However studies show that 4 wheels do tend to degrade operator attentiveness much more than 2 wheels do. Motorcyclists usually focus better on the task at hand (i.e. operating the motorcycle) than automobilists do, because they have fewer things such as passengers, radios/CD/MP3 players, heating/cooling systems, phones, computers, etc. to distract them from it. They also get direct feedback (in terms of wind, seeing the pavement rush past their feet, etc.) of how fast they're going, which helps in making judgments about (for example) how much to brake before making a turn. The more that vehicles mask the vehicle's speed from the operator (smoother ride, better soundproofing, etc), the more dangerous they become.

Re:Auto-car.

[RzUpAnmsCwrds]

To be blunt, you have trouble with automated cars because you are a bad driver.

Note that when I say "bad", I'm referring to your judgement, not your skill.

The fact that you are regularly bumping up against the limits of your vehicle means that you're driving too fast, following too closely, and merging with too little margin.

Eventually, you will screw up, and when you do you'll cause a lot of damage because you have left very little margin for safety.

You are driving on public roads with other drivers, many of whom are unpredictable and far less skilled than you. This does not give you a license to drive aggressively - indeed, it mandates that you drive defensively to mininize the risks.

Go show off your skills at autocross or the track. Do everything you can to avoid using those skills on the highway.