GM Smart Collision Avoidance Tech Alerts Drivers, Won't Fix Stupid

I think most people that get behind the wheel of a car are decent enough drivers. Some of the people out there that drive are plain stupid though. You know the sort that drive 90 mph on the highway when it's raining so hard you can't see in front of your car. Or the sort of driver in the 4x4 truck that thinks they can drive 75 while everyone else crawls along at 30 mph in a snowstorm. I don't think there is enough tech in the world to make this sort of driver safer.

GM has been showing off some new and interesting tech that will help those of us that already drive well be even safer. The system is called Dedicated Short Range Communications or DSRC. Vehicles using this tech would be able to communicate with each other over short distances. This would allow the driver to know if there is traffic slow down ahead or if the police are on the scene of an accident.

The device would also be able to alert the driver from up to a quarter of a mile ahead if a construction zone is nearby and it can even tell the driver if the vehicles up ahead are having traction control activate. The big feature is that the device would be able to signal when two vehicles are on a collision course at an intersection. Smartphones with the tech could also broadcast warnings to drivers. For instance, a parent could warn that kids are playing near the road. The tech could be retrofitted into older vehicles as well.

[via Wired]