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The vehicles can anticipate and react to changing driving situations and then instantly warn the drivers with chimes, visual icons and seat vibrations. If the driver doesn’t respond to the alerts, the car can bring itself to a safe stop, avoiding a collision.
“Driving is a very complex task. Knowing where the other guy is and where he’s headed can be as critical as being in control of your own vehicle,” said Larry Burns, GM vice president, Research & Development and Strategic Planning. “V2V technology gives drivers a sixth sense to know what’s going on around them to help avoid accidents and improve traffic flow.”
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GM demonstrated scenarios in which V2V technology can assist drivers.Many people struggle with blind spots. Using V2V com-munication, the vehicle alerts the driver to vehicles in blind spots with a steady amber light in the side mirror. If the turn signal is activated, a flashing amber light and gentle seat vibration on the side notifies the driver of a potentially dangerous situation.
Pile-ups on congested roads due to a chain reaction of rear-end collisions could be lessened. Using V2V, the vehicle monitors messages from other vehicles up to a quarter of a mile ahead. The trailing vehicle warns the driver first with visual icons and seat vibrations and then automatically brakes if there is danger of a rear-end collision with the vehicle ahead.
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Blind intersections without traffic lights can be particularly dangerous because drivers do not see approaching vehicles until it is too late. Vehicles equipped with V2V can communicate before they are within the driver’s range of vision so the driver has additional time to react.
“Our V2V technology capitalizes on the technology available in OnStar and StabiliTrak. As a result, our customers can benefit from safety features at a fraction of the cost of similar systems,” said Alan Taub, executive director of GM research.