Technology driving motorists to distraction

Safe passing
Yet another system, an “overtaking assistant” in development at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, uses a red or green light to advise drivers when it’s safe to pass a slower car on a two-lane road. Although the technology is aimed at dissuading reckless drivers and encouraging overly cautious ones, Lee said truly safe passing margins could vary widely based on a driver’s age and ability, regardless of whether a green light offers its affirmation.

Some researchers have conceded that their ideas will hinge on how motorists react. A self-organizing traffic control system under development in Zurich, Switzerland, uses variable traffic light patterns to smooth out travel times and promises to improve traffic flow in car-clogged cities by up to 95 percent. But relieved congestion, its backers admit, could be all for naught if drivers upset over another lane getting two green lights in a row decide not to wait their turn.

Experts like Lee and Foss say technology that doesn’t rely on direct interaction with a driver is likely to work best. One such system, called electronic stability control, has generated considerable excitement over its ability to automatically adjust engine and braking power in a car that has suddenly swerved or decelerated, helping to stabilize and keep it from rolling over. A 2006 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the feature reduced the risk of fatal crashes by 43 percent, leading the institute to recommend that it be standard for all vehicles.

“In the end, though, those systems are not fool-proof,” Lee said. “If the driver does something really extreme, physics takes over and there’s nothing that a fancy computer system can do to help prevent a crash.”

Ironically, the anti-lock brake technology on which the stability system is based has been a bigger disappointment in crash reduction, he said, perhaps because drivers are more aware of its presence and drive faster and closer to other cars than they otherwise would. On the other hand, tests on Nissan’s Intelligent Cruise Control found that drivers change lanes less frequently while using it, unexpectedly raising its potential to reduce lane-change collisions. “So the idea of driver adaptation is incredibly important and hard to anticipate,” Lee said.

Good vibrations
Equally hard to prejudge is how existing technologies can morph into new ones. Rumble strips, those loud roadside standbys, have long since proven their effectiveness in preventing sleepy drivers from veering off highways. In Japan and South Korea, engineers have tweaked the concept by cutting precisely shaped and spaced grooves into roadways called Melody Roads and Singing Highways, respectively. When a vehicle’s tires contact the grooved surface, the vibrations produce an identifiable song — optimized for the posted speed limit, of course. The unusual features double as both entertainment and warning systems along dangerous or isolated stretches, particularly in South Korea, where “Mary Had a Little Lamb” is now a roadway hit.

In the end, Foss said, technology that relies on human behavior works best when integrated into a social network. A windshield-mounted system distributed by San Diego-based DriveCam can record and replay the moments leading up to a crash or near-miss, potentially serving as a tool for a peer support system that encourages better driving behavior, whether of teen drivers or car-service employees.

Likewise, Lee and his colleagues used a tracking device to tally how often 18- to 21-year-old drivers look away from a virtual road for longer than a second. By providing the volunteers with a “report card” on how often their eyes strayed, the researchers spurred significantly safer driving behaviors after only a few sessions.

Similar technology could be used to assess risky behavior and reward or punish individual drivers with something that would really grab their attention — insurance premiums. Apart from improving safety, Lee said, the electronic monitors could help gauge how drivers are adapting to all the other onboard gadgetry. “I’m optimistic,” he said. “In general, I think that technology has huge promise and could really make a big difference in terms of driving and safety.”

In one sign of things yet to come, researchers have developed a video camera system that can detect when a driver has drifted too far toward the center line or side of the road, triggering a system that vibrates the car seat. If engineers can combine that technology with a Melody Road, they could put a whole new spin on a song like “Good Vibrations.”

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