Creating the Super Car

Being on the road a lot, both on my daily commute and from road trips, I witness a lot of bad drivers. I don’t mean just drivers that drive fast because technically a fast driver is not a bad driver. If the highways are clear and you know what you’re doing, by all means, put the pedal to the metal. What I constitute as a bad driver is someone who weaves through traffic without using signals, changes lanes constantly, doesn’t stay within their lane, or drives dangerously close to the car in front of it. I don’t know how many auto casualties there are every year but I’m sure it’s a significant amount. What if there was a way to make cars smarter, creating an added level of skill not all drivers posses? That would decrease the number of accidents significantly.

Auto manufacturers are already leading the charge with making their models smarter to make for safer driving. Both Mercedes and Volvo have already incorporated some of the key features I will outline. The 2009 Mercedes E350 has been dubbed “The World’s Smartest Car” with its many features. Top on that list would be the car’s ability to sense when it is only a short distance behind the car in front of it, allowing it to apply a hard brake when it feels an accident is imminent. That’s pretty impressive, especially on local roads because studies show that 75% of accidents happen at 20 MPH or less. The Volvo XC60 also has the same feature, making it an accident preventive vehicle. But this feature only concentrates on one aspect I mentioned: preventing cars from driving at extremely close distances. How can the others be incorporated into cars to truly create the world’s smartest car?

Similar to Neilsen chips on a TV, a similar chip can be created to monitor cars. Neilsen chips can see how many people watched a certain program on a certain day at a certain hour. Using that basic structure, a smart chip can be created to monitor a driver’s behavior. Let’s look at the key areas of focus for creating a smart car: 1) weaving through traffic without indicators, 2) not staying within the lane, and 3) constantly lane changing.

Weaving through traffic - I think this is the number one culprit for car crashes. Usually when a car is weaving through traffic, it is also speeding. A car going fast while moving in different directions is definitely a recipe for a car crash as controlling becomes significantly harder. Sensors can be added to corners of the front bumpers to monitor if the driver is changing lanes without the use of an indicator. Just like how the Neilsen ratings get recorded, the chips can record the data of a car and can issue tickets without cops having to chase down the law breakers. Reality is, cops aren’t around to catch every bad driver so this would be their aid to help really crack down. In addition to safer driving conditions, another byproduct would be fewer expenses to pay cops and all the costs associated with hiring cops (cars, gas, etc.).

Not staying within the lane - Often, accidents occur when a car is driving outside of its lane as it is ambiguous as to what the driver is trying to do. A siren-like noise can be used to alert that driver that they are driving out of their lane. The noise would have to be so loud that it gets the driver’s attention because they might be driving out of lane due to sleepiness.

In addition to the security precautions I mentioned, there are others that can be applied to create for safer roads. Cars can have sensors in both the front and rear bumpers to recognize vehicles or even people so that cars never come into contact with another object. Tires can be created to be more advanced and take into the natural elements for enhanced performance. If it rains or snows causing slippery roads, tires should have a back-up source to help deploy the proper brakes needed in those circumstances. Brakes can also be more advanced to recognize when cars are skidding or spinning out of control so they can apply a hard lock on the brakes, bringing the car to a complete halt.

Although cars have been around for almost 200 years, there are still plenty of places for advancement, mainly with safety as a primary concern. I’m sure there are several other features cars can have to make them safer but these are the ones that I feel need the most urgent addressing. As technology continues to advance, I’m sure an automaker, whether Japanese or German, will come through with a breakthrough in automobiles that will forever revolutionize the automobile as we know it. Hopefully, that day will be sooner than later.