By Stewart Smith on 2016-11-03 - Stewart was the former motoring editor of the Coventry Telegraph and is now a freelance contributor to Eurekar. He is based in Scotland and specialises in First Drive reviews.
New Ford technology
for safer driving
FORD has always been at the cutting edge when it comes to the latest innovations in driver aids and safety equipment and has developed several new systems which will appear in its future products.
Nerve-wracking, potentially hazardous and a significant contributor to repair bills for low-speed bumps and scrapes - parking is a pet-hate for drivers everywhere.
Ford claims that in the UK a quarter of accidents occur in car parks.Almost half of drivers say they would rather travel further from their destination than attempt to parallel park.
The company has also developed cross-traffic alert with braking technology designed to help reduce parking stress by detecting people and objects about to pass behind the vehicle, providing a warning to the driver and then automatically braking if the driver does not respond.
Rear wide-view camera, on the in-car display, will offer an alternative wide-angle view of the rear of the vehicle. Enhanced active park assist will parallel or perpendicular park at the push of a button.
Other technologies also developed at the Ford European Research and Innovation Centre in Aachen, Germany, include systems designed to help drivers steer around other vehicles to help avoid high speed collisions, and to warn drivers from travelling the wrong way down motorways.
Ford calls it an evasive steering assistant.
These new technologies - expected to be first made available on Ford vehicles in the next two years, are part of the company's commitment to triple its investment in developing driver assist features, to evolve them further and to expand their capabilities, speeding the roll-out of systems that make it easier to park and drive in heavy traffic, and help drivers avoid collisions.
Edmund King, president of the AA said: "Drivers must remain alert and reactive when behind the wheel but assist technology can help.
"There are great benefits in Ford developing new assist technologies which can aid the driver to avoid collisions, spot vulnerable road-users in blind spots or eradicate parking rage by making parking easier."
FORD is making significant upgrades to the Transit - the world's best-selling...
FORD has revealed an electric version of its baby Transit, the Courier which...
THE most powerful road going car ever developed by Ford has been unveiled ahead...
Choose from one or more of the options to find the car for you.
Based on your search find the dealership
nearest to you.