While being scared of the dark is often thought of as a childhood quirk, it can be stressful to drive at night for fear of hitting pedestrians, animals or other cars due to decreased visibility. Luckily, Ford is working hard to soothe your worries.
The carmaker has introduced new technology that monitors for pedestrians at night, warns the driver and automatically brakes if the driver does not respond to the warnings.
According to Gregor Allexi, the active safety engineer from Ford of Europe, “Day and night, Pedestrian Detection is designed to help identify people already in – or about to step into – the road ahead.”
Driving at night and poor vision are serious concerns for drivers all around the world. Not only is it a psychological worry, it is a real safety threat. In the United States in 2015, three out of four vehicle-related pedestrian deaths occurred in the evening or at night. Ford has taken a step forward to decrease this number by expanding the Pedestrian Detection functionality to work at night.
How Does Your Ford See in the Dark?
The team that improved this tech worked at night, testing on both closed tracks and busy streets. The system scans the street through radar located in the bumper and a camera mounted on the front of the car. It processes the information it receives and compares it to a database of stored “pedestrian shapes” and determines whether objects are truly people or if they are inanimate objects such as trees or road signs.
This live-feed allows for the system to pick up on pedestrian activity in all light conditions, and respond with warnings or automatic braking.
The tech will make its initial debut in Europe later this year on the Ford Fiesta. In North America, it will be equipped on the 2018 Ford F-150 and Mustang.
Advice for Driving at Night
Until you can get your hands on the latest version of Ford’s Pedestrian Detection tech, there are a few tips you can follow to stay vigilant in low light:
The Ford models equipped with advanced Pedestrian Detection will arrive in the showroom of our dealership near Dallas later this year. In the meantime, you can take a look at our current inventory of new cars at Grapevine Ford to determine which one is perfect for you.
- Increase visibility by cleaning your headlights and changing them when needed
- Keep your windows and mirrors clean
- Always wear the appropriate vision aides (i.e. glasses, contacts), if needed, and make sure they are up to date
- Don’t drive while tired
The Ford models equipped with advanced Pedestrian Detection will arrive in the showroom of our dealership near Dallas later this year. In the meantime, you can take a look at our current inventory of new cars at Grapevine Ford to determine which one is perfect for you.