Ford develop new technologies to assist drivers

Nerve-wracking, potentially hazardous and a significant contributor to repair bills for low-speed bumps and scrapes – parking is a pet-hate for drivers across Europe.

Almost half of drivers say they would rather travel further from their destination than attempt to parallel park.

Ford is now developing a range of new technologies designed to remove parking stresses for drivers, including Cross Traffic Alert with Braking, which is designed to detect vehicles, scooters and cyclists that are about to pass behind a driver and automatically brake to avoid them; Rear Wide View Camera, which shows on the in-car display a wide-angle view from the rear of the vehicle; and Enhanced Active Park Assist, which means simply pressing one button to park, both in parallel and perpendicular spaces.

‘We’ve all become accustomed to the challenges of driving, but it remains one of the most demanding tasks most of us perform day in, day out,’ said Torsten Wey, manager, Chassis & Safety Electronics, Ford of Europe. ‘Technology is already proving its potential to help make driving less stressful – and Ford’s investment in research and development is paying off by accelerating and expanding our portfolio of driver assist technologies that deliver real-world benefits to drivers, passengers, cyclists and pedestrians alike.’

Further technologies developed at the Ford European Research and Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany, include systems designed to help drivers steer around other vehicles to avoid high speed collisions; spot cyclists and automatically brake to help avoid or mitigate accidents; and prevent drivers from travelling the wrong way down motorways.

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 further evolve them 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.

Research shows that 47 per cent of drivers park further away from their destination to avoid parallel parking, 15 per cent avoid parallel parking completely, and 75 per cent of drivers get nervous when having to park in front of other drivers.2

‘Parking is one of the most stressful experiences behind the wheel, and drivers struggling to find suitable parking spaces in urban areas can have a knock-on effect for traffic flow as well as stress-levels,’ said Dirk Gunia, supervisor, Driver Assist Electronics, Ford of Europe. ‘Technologies like our Enhanced Active Park Assist will help drivers feel confident about parking in spaces they might otherwise have considered too small.’