| Summary: | Part of a special section on technology. Automated driving aids that are to be fitted to cars in the near future can warn motorists about possible accidents and prevent crashes. Computer-aided sensors and decision-making software aim to help motorists to become safer and improved drivers. Most of the new assistance devices being developed are based in one way or another on the adaptive cruise-control system first used in the 1970s, and which works by detecting the distance and speed of the vehicle ahead. Researchers are working on cleverer forms of driver assistance, including collision warning, hazard avoidance, lane keeping, urban stop-and-go cruise, and control systems that prevent cars from breaking the speed limit. The idea underlying all automated driving aids is to add assistance to drivers, rather than take control away from them. Details of some of the devices that have been developed are provided.
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