What\u2019s the smartest piece of technology you own? It could be the car you drive, and it\u2019s about to get even smarter, with Ford\u2019s plan to begin production of self-driving vehicles in 2021. While it\u2019ll probably still be a few years until self-driving cars take to the streets worldwide, the vehicles we drive today already have semi-autonomous and driver assistance features in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These advanced technologies are designed to detect less-than-ideal driving conditions before you even realize you need a helping hand. So yes, even today, they are smart enough to judge you and your driving skills. But unlike judgmental people, judgmental cars aren\u2019t there to bring you down; they can actually help make you a better driver or offer potentially life-saving warnings for unforeseen hazards. If you\u2019re currently in the market for a new vehicle, here are five technologies \u2013 all available Ford technologies \u2013 to look for to help make your time on the road safer and less stressful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Driver Alert SystemThe situation: Your car is veering between lane markings.The judgment: This driver may be distracted or dozing off. The action: Warns you of your faltering vigilance level. How it works: Ford\u2019s Driver Alert System judges your vigilance level by measuring your car\u2019s position within the lane and the yaw (or rotation) rate of your car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Using data from the lane-keeping system, the Driver Alert System can detect fatigued driving signs and provide a warning on the instrument cluster. Collision Warning TechnologyThe situation: You\u2019re in fast-moving traffic, there\u2019s the potential for a collision with the vehicle in front, and you\u2019re not acting to prevent it.The judgment: This driver needs help to break in time to prevent a potential collision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The action: Warns you to enable faster braking, even pre-charges brakes to increase sensitivity. How it works: This technology continuously monitors the traffic conditions ahead. When it senses a high risk of collision with the vehicle in front and not doing anything about it, the system will alert you with audio and visual warnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ford cars are equipped with Forwarding Collision Warning with Brake Support, which provides faster braking performance when necessary. Adaptive Cruise Control sensors can also detect when the Ford approaches a slow-moving vehicle ahead and adjusts speed accordingly. Active Braking TechnologyThe situation: You\u2019re driving at slower speeds in traffic and don\u2019t step on the brakes quickly enough to deal with situations like a car in front suddenly changing into your lane or stopping abruptly for a red light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The judgment: This driver is approaching the vehicle ahead with the distance critically reducing, and not enough force is being applied to the brakes. The action: Autonomously applies the brakes. How it works: Active braking technologies are designed to trigger the brakes when they sense that the required braking force to avoid a collision is escalating, and you haven\u2019t taken action yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As an example, Ford\u2019s Active City Stop technology does this by using a sophisticated light- and range-detecting sensor that scans the road ahead 50 times a second when you are driving up to 50 km\/h. Electronic Stability ProgrammeThe situation: You swerve quickly, causing your car to lose traction.The judgment: This driver needs help regaining control of their car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The action: Automatically applies the brakes and adjusts engine torque to help you regain control. How it works: Modern cars come with some version of an Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), which can help you maintain control in adverse driving situations or when you are making quick maneuvers. Ford vehicles also offer torque vectoring control, which continuously balances power between front wheels for exceptional control and handling when you\u2019re accelerating through corners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When ESP senses that your car is losing traction, it automatically applies the brakes to individual wheels and adjusts engine torque to improve your vehicle\u2019s stability and help avoid skidding. If the ESP light in your instrument cluster is flashing, it indicates that your ESP has been activated. As skidding is one of the main causes of accidents, avoiding it is really important. Lane Keeping SystemThe situation: You are drifting out of your lane and are not indicating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The judgment: This driver, most likely distracted, is unintentionally veering into a neighboring lane. The action: Warns you of the lane departure and steers you back to your current lane if you do not respond. How it works: When you start to leave your lane without indicating, Ford\u2019s Lane-Keeping System, which includes lane-keeping, alerts drivers when they drift unintentionally from their lane, and lane-keeping aid, which provides steering assistance to guide an unintentionally drifting vehicle back into its lane.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
New semi-autonomous and driver assistance technologies arrive at a blistering pace and offer early adopters a peek into what the future will look like. So, embrace them and learn what they\u2019re all about: after all, they may be judgmental, but they have our best interests at their (technical equivalent of a) heart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
What\u2019s the smartest piece of technology you own? It could be the car you drive, and it\u2019s about to get even smarter, with Ford\u2019s plan to begin production of self-driving vehicles in 2021. While it\u2019ll probably still be a few years until self-driving cars take to the streets worldwide, the vehicles we drive today already […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":6157,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"1","_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_pr_autopilot_social_copy":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph_image_id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_twitter_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter_image_id":0,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":26,"_extra_hide_author_box":"","_extra_featured_post":"","_partner_post_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6155","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-automotive","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n