Ford has introduced in the new Kuga SUV technology designed to help drivers avoid blind spot collisions while traveling on multi-lane carriageways.
This has been achieved by linking its existing blind spot technology to a lane keeping system, which can apply counter-steering to warn the driver and discourage a lane change maneuver if a potential collision is detected.
The Lane-Keeping System with Blind Spot Assist radar sensors scan parallel lanes for vehicles up to 28m behind, 20 times per second, while driving at speeds from 40mph to 124mph. An intervention can be automatically activated if the control system senses a lane-change by monitoring road markings using a forward-facing camera, and calculates that two vehicles are on a collision course.
According to Ford, the system can intervene to help prevent collisions with vehicles approaching with a closing speed of up to approximately 18mph.
The company will also be debuting an Intersection Assist technology which uses a vehicle’s forward-facing camera, combined with radar, to monitor for potential collisions with oncoming vehicles in parallel lanes.
The system can automatically apply the brakes when travelling at up to 18mph to help prevent or mitigate the effects of accidents in scenarios where a driver is turning across the path of an oncoming vehicle, such as commonly encountered at crossroads or mini roundabouts (traffic circles).