Where to next for vehicle safety

The ongoing evolution of vehicle safety systems is set to double down on technology over the coming decade as car makers leverage the benefits of the digital era with cars set to get smarter and better connected to their environment and other road users.

That’s the prediction of vehicle safety experts, some of whom suggest the focus on avoiding crashes will continue.

Key to any safety developments is mass adoption, says Dr David Young, the Transport Accident Commission’s Manager Vehicle Safety, Innovation and Technology.

He says it’s crucial that the very effective safety systems already available on hundreds of new models - auto emergency braking (AEB) and lane keep assist, for example - proliferate across the vehicle landscape.

“The vehicles sold today will still probably be around for another 20 years,” says Dr Young.

“It’s really important that we get those known and proven systems into vehicles today so that everyone has access to the best and safest vehicles today and into the future.”

Dr Young also says there will be incremental and ongoing improvements to existing safety systems with the view to improving their effectiveness and relevance.

“The main systems that we really look for… is auto emergency braking, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring technology and other systems like intelligent speed assistance systems, which advise the driver of the correct speed to be travelling.”

But there’s one significant challenge to improving the effectiveness of safety systems: ensuring the technologies fit within the existing infrastructure and the vehicles currently on the road.

“It’s important that as we get newer and more advanced vehicles and systems, we ensure they fit with our road network and transport system today, says Dr Young.

Auto emergency braking (AEB) has been around for about a decade but already we’ve seen the systems improve their usefulness. Whereas early systems were largely limited to city speeds, most can now operate up to at least 80km/h. And most newer systems are responding to vulnerable road users such as cyclists and pedestrians.

Independent testing of these systems suggests there is still plenty of work to be done. That’s particularly important when you consider the extensive range of scenarios that face drivers every day. But technology is stepping in.

“Sensors and cameras will get better, [and] microprocessors will get more powerful,” says Ian Foston, the man in charge of the development of the T6 architecture that underpins the new Ford Ranger and Everest.

“All the knowledge and data we’re gaining, driving vehicles and actually seeing how they respond to their situations, helps us get that fidelity of what we can do in terms of predicting what’s going to happen and then assisting the customer. [And it] Will only get better and better over time.”

Foston says it’s all about “giving the vehicle more time to get itself prepared and knowing in advance what’s going to happen”.

Many cars can now spot obstacles behind to make reversing safer. A child running into the path of the car or another vehicle approaching from the side can all generate an auto braking scenario, whereby the car determines an impact is possible, so automatically performs emergency braking.

It’s worth noting, however, that there’s still room for improvement. The systems aren’t perfect, sometimes activating the brakes for something as innocuous as a plant or other object. Even with these inconveniences the benefit of preventing collisions with vulnerable groups such as young children and older adults are significant. Furthermore, as it gets better and better, this technology, and others such as reversing and 360-degree cameras will be vital in protecting these most vulnerable pedestrians.

One of the future benefits of safer vehicles will be the ability to provide the driver with more information about the environment in which they’re driving. Until now it’s been done solely via sensors on the car - cameras, radars and ultrasonic sensors - that collate data to be processed in milliseconds.

But the next step is set to come externally - and connections via roadside devices or the mobile phone network will be key in supporting this advancement.

“Connectivity is just another string to the bow in being able to make sure drivers and other road users can be assisted in being as alert as possible to unexpected events.” says Dr Young.

As aircraft maintain ‘separation’ in controlled airspace, if cars ‘know’ what’s going on around them with other road users then there’s a better chance any interaction is safe.

For example, if a driver comes across an unexpected hazard - a slippery patch or an animal on the road – then the systems in his or her vehicle can instantly relay that information and the associated warning to other connected vehicles.

Australian telcos are already well into the rollout of 5G phone towers, which can transfer data up to 20 times faster than the 4G we’ve used for more than a decade. In addition, or in place of, connectivity via the mobile network many public and private groups are working to test out Direct Short Range Communication methods for transferring alerts. These will utilise roadside communications infrastructure to ensure data and alerts are transferred quickly.

Hundreds of cars on the same road requiring real time information means the sort of data transfer that once wasn’t thought possible. Consideration also needs to be given to the data flow and how it is used.

Dr Young says the next roll out of technology needs to take into account human reactions, ensuring that any information relayed to the driver “gives the person the best opportunity to avoid or reduce the severity of the crash”.

“A critical consideration is how a message is delivered to the driver [or other road user] so the message is clear, easily understood, delivered at the right time and actionable.”

The systems in the latest vehicles are built to recognise lane markings and, in some cases, the edge of a road surface to keep vehicles on track.

Lane keep assist (LKA) systems can prevent cars inadvertently leaving their lane or road surface. It’s important technology, says Dr Young, who points to the implications of cars the road at country road speeds.

“Lane keep assistance systems are really important going forward,” he says, adding that “as with all technology, it’s always evolving”.

Better cameras and sensors and smarter software can all improve the effectiveness of LKA systems.

“We hope Lane keep assist’s ability to prevent [crashes] will continue to improve as better cameras or better sensors, or more advanced computing, is possible.”

Despite the efforts going into vehicle safety crashes will still happen. But responding swiftly to incidents can reduce trauma and save lives.

“One of the least well understood [aspects of road safety] is post-crash care and its importance in peoples’ particular outcomes -- both in preventing loss of life and reducing the severity of injuries,” says Dr Young.

Mobile phones have helped to put people in touch with help sooner but more recently cars are further shortening that response time by taking the human out of the equation.

Emergency call or SoS systems can contact a call centre or even the emergency services directly after a crash.

They can pinpoint the location of the vehicle and even relay information that could be beneficial to first responders, for example: how many people were in the vehicle, how severe the impact was and whether anyone has lost consciousness.

“The sooner we can get emergency services to someone … the better,” says Young.

“We’re looking forward to having wider deployment [of these systems] here in Australia.”

But he adds that such systems need to take into account Australian roads and driving conditions as well as our occasionally patchy phone coverage.

“It’s great to hear about technologies like this … but we need to ensure that they work for the local context.”

Speed sign recognition has long been available in cars. Navigation data and forward facing cameras can provide information on the relevant speed.

Excessive speed plays a role in many crashes, however, this speed can in fact be under the prevailing speed limit. Safety authorities commonly refer to this as “inappropriate speed for the conditions”.

“We know that speed – whether it be travelling at inappropriate speed or travelling over the speed limit – can have a really big effect on crash outcomes,” says Dr Young.

“There’s a lot of low-level speeding out there that can increase the risk of being involved in a crash.”

Dr Young says intelligent speed assistance systems “can assist by guiding the driver on what the speed limit is for an environment”.

More advanced systems already available in some late model vehicles can provide advice or in some cases active assistance to stay below the speed limit. This can be via by dulling the throttle response or automatically adjusting the cruise control when the speed zone changes.

“Those are there not to control what the driver does or overrule the driver but to try and keep people as safe as possible from accidentally drifting over that speed limit.”

Ultimately, the driver is still the most important component of the road safety equation. That’s why modern cars keep an eye on the person behind the wheel, sensing for behaviour consistent with fatigue, lapsing attention or distractions.

“Everyone is well aware of the dangers of distraction and inattention and tired driving” says Dr Young, adding that early warnings to drivers can be an added layer in protecting road users.

Some vehicles use eye tracking cameras while others look at reaction times to determine if a driver is not paying attention. Such systems will continue to evolve, in turn providing more accurate and relevant warnings.

Dr Young also believes the sensors and software behind driver monitoring systems could expand to cover other seating positions in the cabin. They could, for example, determine if a child is correctly restrained and/or monitor whether a child or pet had been left in the vehicle.

“The technology may have other benefits for other vehicle systems as well,” says Dr Young.

“It may also be very useful in future as automated driving systems are deployed. At that point in time, monitoring will be vital in establishing if the driver is prepared to take control of the vehicle,” Dr Young stated.