Nissan reveals an advanced system that can warn of a collision a driver can't even see yet.
Nissan has unveiled a trio of new high-tech safety systems that are designed to help prevent collisions or, where that’s not possible, reduce the chance of injuries and fatalities.
The maker’s move is part of a general trend in the market that has been led as much by the industry as by government regulators and reflects the growing consumer demand for safer vehicles.
While basic improvements in vehicle design have helped improve automotive safety many of the latest advances rely on onboard digital technologies that can monitor the area around a vehicle and, if necessary, respond even faster than a human driver.
That, in fact, is the key to Nissan’s new Acceleration Suppression for Pedal Misapplication technology, which can prevent a driver from inadvertently stepping on the throttle when that might lead to an accident. The system relies on the multi-camera system now used by the maker’s Around View Monitor, which provides a seemingly birds-eye image of the terrain immediately surrounding the vehicle.
In a car park, for example, ASPM would be able to see if there is a car in front and limit how hard a driver could accelerate. That might prevent inadvertently slamming into another vehicle or a garage wall. It could also come into play if a motorist steps on the gas pedal rather than the brake – something that has been linked to many complaints about alleged “unintended acceleration.”
Acceleration Suppression can also work on the open road, according to Nissan, using sonar technology to prevent a driver from accelerating too quickly if there are vehicles in the lane ahead.
A second new technology is called Multi-Sensing System with Rear Camera, and it similarly makes use of the Around View Monitor with an additional rear-facing camera. This system can deliver an improved form of Blind Spot Detection and Lane Departure Warning, as well as what Nissan dubs Moving Object Detection. When the vehicle is shifted into Reverse the system detects pedestrians and other moving objects and, if necessary, sounds an alert.
Meanwhile, Nissan’s Predictive Forward Collision Warning System can sense when vehicles ahead begin to slow down – even a car that might not immediately be visible to the driver. If an impact seems possible the driver is warned by a buzzer, lights and even by the tightening of their seatbelt.
While Nissan didn’t provide any indication when the Forward Collision Warning System will become available it noted the Pedal Misapplication system should appear in its products within two years. The Multi-Sensing System, meanwhile, will debut next month on the updated Elgrand model that is sold in Japan.