Many of the country's roadways are increasingly congested, leading to historically long commuting times and traffic safety issues. In fact, human error is a major factor in many traffic accidents.
Developing automated driving systems, particularly self-driving cars, can address many of these issues. The self-driving car experience includes several features that can make driving safer. Though it may be years before fully autonomous vehicles hit the road, car manufacturers are integrating some of the best self-driving car features into newer models, allowing consumers to benefit from these innovations right now.
Top features of the best self-driving car
Some of the most common user-friendly features of the best self-driving car include autonomous emergency braking systems, adaptive cruise control, high-definition maps that leverage near-real time sensor data and blind spot detection.
- Autonomous emergency braking: This radar-based or computer-vision based safety system can automatically activate the brakes and slow down or stop a car when it detects a pedestrian, cyclist, another vehicle or object within a certain distance. This can prevent a collision or reduce the potential impact of an accident.
- Adaptive cruise control: This feature automatically adjusts a car's speed to ensure the vehicle stays within a safe driving distance from other vehicles and doesn't exceed the speed limit.
- High-definition maps: Another one of the best self-driving car features automakers are integrating into new car models includes near-real time maps of a driver's surroundings. These maps use satellite technology, data from smart video camera systems and data from intelligent traffic systems to extend drivers' vision, helping reduce travel times and improve driver safety.
- Blind spot detection: This top feature of the best connected car gives drivers a near 360-degree view of their immediate surroundings, providing information about what's behind or on either side of the vehicle.
These top features of the best connected car can help improve overall safety for drivers, other motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.
5G and the future of autonomous vehicles
5G is paving the way for next-generation transportation. The technology can provide the modern connectivity necessary to power the cloud, artificial intelligence and machine learning-based technologies that support the best connected car and the best self-driving car.
Autonomous cars have several near-real time communications requirements. Low latency and fast data transfers are crucial for the sensors within the car, the surrounding road and traffic infrastructure to communicate effectively with each other. For example, a car with an autonomous braking system needs to receive near-real time data about an approaching car or obstruction to take timely evasive action.
5G can provide the advanced connectivity the best connected car would need to support secure in-vehicle networks and external vehicle-to-everything communications networks that connect to smart transportation systems.
Get ready for the next generation of vehicles
Autonomous driving technology can enable car manufacturers to make vehicles safer by providing drivers with near-real time contextual information. However, self-driving car features are data and bandwidth-intensive, which means modernizing networks will be just as critical for enabling next-gen cars as any innovative in-vehicle technology.
With 5G, vehicles can inch ever closer to a fully autonomous future. In the meantime, newer models with the best self-driving car features demonstrate what this future could be.
5G can fast-track the development of self-driving cars and their innovative features. Learn more about 5G and self-driving cars.
The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.