David Martin MEPIntelligent cars save lives!

Intelligent cars save lives!

lDavid Martin, Scotland’s senior MEP in the European Parliament, is backing a new European Union (EU) initiative to build more ‘intelligent cars’.

“On average 40,000 people are killed and a further 1.7 million are severely injured on Europe’s roads every year. The introduction of the ‘intelligent car’ could reduce this carnage,” stated David Martin in Brussels this week, where the initiative was discussed in the Transport Committee.

Developing cars that are smarter, safer and greener is part of the EU’s ‘European Information Society 2100’ strategy to boost growth and jobs in the digital economy by using new information and communication technology (ICT) to improve quality of life.

“The object of the ‘intelligent car’ initiative is to harness the latest technology to make cars safer and more efficient through devices such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC) which is the application of a computerized system designed to help road handling and prevent skidding,” explained Mr Martin.

“An eye opening device which will save many lives is the AWAKE system which is a driver hyper-vigilance system that wakes up drowsy drivers. It has been estimated that such a device could prevent up to 30% all fatal crashes on motorways. This on its own would justify the worth of the ‘intelligent car’,” stated Mr Martin.

“It all forms part of the safety initiative which has been identified as a key element of research and development into a new generation of safer and more efficient cars. Another benefit of greater technology within cars, is the easing of congestion on our roads and motorways by diverting traffic away from hotspots,” continued the Euro MP.

“Perhaps the most high profile safety initiative of the ‘intelligent car’ will be the ‘eCall’ system which the European Parliament has strongly backed. This system automatically calls the emergency services if a vehicle has been in a serious accident and the passengers are too injured to do it themselves.”

“Although many of these gadgets may sound like they are out of science fiction they will save lives in the future. If you think about it, 30 years ago no one used seat belts – and look how many lives they have since saved,” concluded David Martin.