Ford’s Pre-Collision Assist keeps roads safer

Distracted driving is one of the most pressing issues facing drivers today, one finally receiving the attention it deserves from lawmakers and automakers alike.

While keeping drivers’ eyes on the road is one thing, pedestrians are just as likely to fall under the spell of their handheld devices, making them unpredictable and putting pressure on all drivers to keep their eyes peeled whenever foot traffic is nearby.

Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection technology, found as an available option in the 2017 Ford Fusion, is here to help. It takes stock of your vehicle’s surroundings, monitoring movement and keeping tabs on the road ahead.

Based on more than a year’s worth of trials, generating more than 240 terabytes of data, this amazing technology is similar to many advancements made the world over, from Seoul to Germany and back, designed to keep pedestrians alert and aware of their surroundings.

But rather than alert those on foot of potential dangers, Ford’s Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection processes information from a variety of sources in the vehicle to calculates the risk of a collision.

A windshield-mounted camera, taught to classify different vehicle and pedestrian scenarios and designed to work at up to 80km/h, works alongside radar located near the bumper to pick up shape reflections to feed data into a unique Ford algorithm.

No computer or camera replaces an alert human driver, the system initially provides audio and visual cues (beeping and muting the audio system) that there’s a coming collision risk. If the driver does not react, the vehicle can automatically apply the brakes to prevent, reduce the severity of, or even eliminate a crash.

It’s the early days of these exciting technologies, which currently work during daylight and sunny conditions only. But the possibilities are endless, with Pre-Collision Assist with Pedestrian Detection representing the tip of the iceberg.