The days of the Knight Rider may not be over just yet. The infamous 'Kitt' car has arrived in Australia in the form of a Ford motor vehicle which boasts a suite of state-of-the-art technology. And the advice from the manufacturer - sit back and enjoy the ride.
The Safe Car is a Victorian Transport Accident Commission (TAC) initiative, developed in conjunction with Monash University Accident Research Centre and the Ford Motor Company.
Equipped with intelligent transport systems (ITS) technology, Ford will roll out 15 intelligent vehicles in the New Year, to be tested before they're sold commercially.
The Safe Car is equipped with eight technologies, which activate when the driver is operating the vehicle in an illegal or dangerous manner. The system sends out visual and audible warning signals to notify the driver - in time to respond to a situation.
And for those who plant the foot? Intelligent speed-adapting technology provides resistance through the accelerator pedal to make it harder to speed. The cars are also installed with global positioning systems (GPS) as well as in-built road maps which are specially encoded to identify a speed limit zone.
Radars are used to assess the speed and proximity of any object in front of and behind the Safe Car, which alerts the driver to any danger which could cause a collision.
And what about the drink driver? An in-built breathalyser may just be what police and emergency services have been waiting for. Sensors can literally 'sniff out' whether the driver has had too much to drink by detecting alcoholic vapours in the vehicle.
The vehicles are also installed with an emergency may-day system which activates during an accident. Emergency services are notified of the exact position of the vehicle using the GPS system and mobile phone communications.
Other technologies include a seatbelt reminder system and energy-conserving headlights.
"Following a TAC initiative to invest in ITS as a means of safety, we've built eight technologies into demonstration vehicles, which will be developed and refined and then installed into 15 fleet vehicles for evaluation," said Laurie Williams from Ford's Environmental and Safety Engineering Group.
It's claimed to be the first time a suite of ITS technologies has been fitted to a vehicle. Two Ford prototypes will be tested in 'real world' situations to evaluate how drivers respond to the combined technologies.
"We need to determine how people will cope with two to three conditions where you're about to have a collision, you haven't got you're seat belt on, and if you're above the speed limit," Williams said.
"All these need to be prioritised. Still working on the software priority system," he said.
Williams told ZDNet the vehicles should be ready for commercial use in two years time.
