Making Your Commute Safer with Technology

According to 2016 statistics, an average American drives 12,476 miles each year. Sure, a portion of that figure goes on cross country road trips or just cruising for fun, but the majority of it is ordinary everyday commutes. Things like going to the store, gym or work are mostly something you need to get behind the wheel for. Another statistic claims that there are also 3,287 road crash-related deaths in the world, while 20-50 million people per year get injured or disabled as their result. This means that every time you start your engine, you’re putting your life on the line. Here are some technologies that can help reduce these risks.

Self-Driving Cars

While in most cases, studies conducted by different parties may contradict each other, there is one thing that everyone agrees on. According to the results of most researches, human error accounts for 9 out of 10 road accidents. The rest of them are caused by some outside factors, like the road conditions and the vehicle malfunctions. Because of this, it’s safe to assume that self-driving cars might save countless of lives, once their number on the road increases.

Of course, we’re still not out of the woods, since autopilots in current vehicles were known to make disastrous mistakes. The world stood still when the news broke out of the Tesla driver who lost his life while car was on auto-pilot. Furthermore, more recently, there was a report of a Chinese driver who claimed to have crashed his car due to an autopilot. Still, these are both isolated cases which are the result of this technology still being in a prototype stage.

Augmented Reality Dashboard

In 2016, the world is obsessed with augmented reality. The success of Snapchat and Pokémon GO is the perfect example of this. Still, this technology can also be applied in a more useful manner. The greatest problem with dashboard indicators is that they are sometimes too tiny or not transparent enough. With the help of augmented reality dashboards, you’ll be able to see the road and the world around you in a completely different light. Imagine a car in front of you, changing colors from green to red as you approach too close to it.

Car-Stopping Airbags

While most airbags are designed to save lives during a crash, Mercedes-Benz is currently working on airbags whose sole purpose is to stop a car before the crash. The way they should work is quite simple. Via the sensor system, your car will be able to anticipate the crash and, at that moment, these airbags will be deployed underneath the vehicle. With the increased friction, they are supposed to significantly enhance the stopping power of the car and prevent the impact. In other words, for the first time in the automotive history, airbags would be used to stop the accident instead of just trying to control the damage it makes.

Action Camera

Finally, the death or the injury is not the only hazard you will be facing on the road. Sometimes, you can be falsely charged or accused, and while this doesn’t put you in physical danger, it can be extremely inconvenient. This is why, having a GoPro HERO action camera works as a perfect deterrent. This way, if the fault was not yours, you’ll have the means to prove it. To make things even better, having an action camera has another purpose, since it can help you relive the most interesting parts of your journey.

Critics may say that we are mostly using the accomplishments of the 21st century for entertainment purposes, but these few inventions are a living proof that this isn’t entirely true. Purchasing any of these incredible devices is an investment in your own safety and that of the traffic around you. There are some things you simply cannot put a price tag on and this is one of them.