Collision Warning for Cars

BOSTON — Car drivers may soon have access to a collision warning system similar to the Eaton-Vorad system on some trucks today.

General Motors, along with Delphi Electronics Systems of Troy, Mich., and the U.S. Department of Transportation will spend $35 million over the next five years to develop the technology, Secretary of Transportatoin Rodney Slater announced June 24 during DOT’s Spirit of Innovation in Transportation conference.

By mid-2001, 10 cars will be fitted with the collision warning systems and 100 Michigan residents will test them over 10 months, said David Wohleen, president of Delphi Electronics Systems. Although the devices are similar to Eaton-Vorad’s, they will be more “user-friendly” and offer advancements in sensor performance and automatic braking and cruise control that aren’t on the market today, he said.

Eaton-Vorad is the commercial name of a system for trucking marketed by Eaton Corp. (6-21, p. 21).

The collision warning system will process data such as object range and relative speed, steering wheel position and throttle position. The device will use the data to determine whether or not objects are in the vehicle’s path, Wohleen said. “Sensor technology advancements will result in fewer false alarms and a smoother ride,” he added.

The systems could help prevent some of the 1.7 million rear end crashes and 1,500 fatalities that occur in the U.S. each year, Slater said.

1991