International   

Cars to stop drunks

— Photo: AP

Concept car: Checking sobriety with the gear shift.

YOKOSUKA: Some cars from the Japanese company Nissan will soon come with a gas pedal that lifts to warn of possible collisions; the cars will automatically stop if drivers take their foot off the accelerator in response to the warning.

The technology combines radar sensors and a computer system to assess speed and the distance to a vehicle in front, Nissan said on Monday.

Cars with the safety features will be available this year in Japan, and in 2008 in the U.S.

The idea was to make a car that judges dangers on its own like a friendly animal, so machine and driver can work together, said a manager. “It is almost like riding a horse, the way the rider can have a dialogue with the horse.”

When drivers lift their foot off the accelerator pedal, the brakes kick in automatically to bring the car to a stop. The car will keep going if the driver steps on the pedal.

Nissan also showed an experimental system that measures alcohol levels in sweat from sensors in the gearshift. The system stops short of locking the ignition but issues an electronic warning.

The car recognises if a driver is drifting between lanes, and comes with a computerised camera that monitors blinking to check if a driver is drunk or drowsy.

Nissan said people probably would not buy such an intrusive car, but the technology may have commercial uses such as in delivery trucks and taxi cabs.

More practical is the lane departure prevention technology, which swivels a car back into its lane if it swerves off.

The lane technology is being offered later this year in the U.S. on the Infiniti EX luxury model. — AP

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

U.S., Iran begin talks on Iraq security
Uniform issue later: Musharraf
U.N. official faults Muttur killings probe
Reject U.S. policies, Shinzo Abe told
Cars to stop drunks
Howard rejects Haneef’s request
Fossil taken to U.S.
Airlines gearing up to meet exodus from UAE
India, Israel for strengthening economic ties

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu