Smartphones Can Save Our Lives
I was in a T-bone crash this past week that might have been avoided. I was in the passenger seat of a Ford F-150 hit broadside – at speed – on the passenger side by an Audi A3.
Once the crash had occurred, the Ford’s 911 Assist function activated automatically and called for help via the driver’s connected smartphone. But the Ford’s smartphone connectivity solution might have prevented the accident altogether... with some legislative and technological help.
The crash occurred because the driver of the car in which I was a passenger attempted a U-turn from a left-turn lane with his view of the far lane of opposing traffic obscured by a line of trucks. He saw the approaching Audi too late.
All four passengers between the two vehicles were carrying smartphones. The technology already exists for these devices to communicate with one another at a sufficiently low level of latency to have enabled a smartphone-based alert. After receiving such a timely alert, the driver of the Ford delays his ill-conceived cross-traffic maneuver. A crash is avoided.
So, imagine a world where smartphones in cars must either be turned off or safely connected with the car. Imagine, further, that LTE-based device-to-device communication is enabled – maybe even legislatively required. App developers write driver alert/warning applications. Lives are saved.
Alas, all of us fell victim that day to a failure of technology, legislation and elementary driving skills. The driver of the Ford F-150 in which I was sitting suffered his first-ever car crash (resulting in a day-long odyssey trying to find a repair shop able to take on a new project) and a rental car company somewhere in Los Angeles received news of a once-beautiful-now-completely-destroyed Audi.
‘X’ marks the spot of my accident.
The executives we visited near the accident scene later that day said accidents of the kind my colleague and I experienced occur every day. Isn’t it time we unleashed the power of inter-smartphone communication to reduce highway fatalities? I think so.
Author
9 年I don't think a smartphone could have stopped an accident that was clearly negligence on the part of the driver. He couldn't see, he shouldn't have gone. Plus turning all smart phones in to constant beacons? Say goodbye to battery life!
AI, Digital Transformation, and Cloud Services Executive
9 年First off- glad to hear everyone's OK Roger! When I saw this title- I thought you were covering the new project I'm working on. (www.MavenMachines.com) We've embedded sensors into the Bluetooth headsets worn by truckers. We can detect mirror-checks similar to the way a Fitbit counts steps. For occupational safety, it makes sense to track where the 'attention' and head is pointed. Using AI algorithms, we can then detect a number of events including distraction such as glances to a smartphone, or any decrease in mirror-check activity. We then provide alerts and early warnings for distraction and fatigue. We're the only real-time system that can predict drowsiness and prevent head-bob (aka micro-sleep) events.
Technology Editor Electronic Design Magazine, Innovator, Sociable Influencer, Provocateur, & Enginerd. Postings here are my own opinions, not my employer's.
9 年Smart phone alert, you get distracted at critical moments, you die. Not as smart as it seems when milliseconds determine if you live or die, or worse. Being in an F-150 or monster SUV also creates a feeling of invincibility and a smug complacency that invites recklessness - quite a bit different level of mortality awareness than you would have, say, in a SmartForTwo. The excuse was being blindsided because of trucks; the reality is that should have stopped the U-turn. No smart phone can fix stupid human. Anyway, good that you lived through it to tell the tale. But the solution being proposed is naive and puts two chains of reaction time into play when milliseconds matter.
Versatile and Solutions-Driven Electrical Engineer | Electronics | EE | Design | Manufacturing
9 年I've read that some auto manufacturers are working on systems that will help prevent or minimize the accident you were involved in, but it will take some time to develop the various systems required, come-up with a robust standard that is agreed by the various manufacturers, and cheap enough that it can be included in the cost of the vehicle. If all these problems are solved, it will still take some time to have enough equipped vehicles on the road to make the system truly functional and useful. I don't think what you have in mind will be useful if integrated or added as an app for a smartphone - I can't see how someone is going to look on the phone to tell them a car is coming and still have enough time for the drivers to respond appropriately and correctly. It will have to be integrated into the vehicle's electronics and the vehicle will have to act accordingly.
Technicien support Infra/Cloud at ITCloud Solutions Canada
9 年I'm sad for that did happen to you Roger, but smartphone alarm can't stop careless driver from dangerous maneuver in intensive traffic and surely can't replace a safe driving habits. F-150 is excellent truck and has an exceptional wide observation range comparing to A3 and many others. Driver should use more his own perception and logic than rely on smartphone signals. as an example - the more I use GPS assistance - the less I care about remembering my path.