Collision Mitigation

Also known as anticipatory braking, collision mitigation represents a step beyond smart cruise control and involves the use of radar to anticipate a crash and charge the brakes for better stopping. These systems are rapidly evolving. The latest DaimlerChrysler system combines two radars, one with a narrow angle aimed at distant objects and one with a wide angle to measure lateral distance at closer range. The combination gives the car’s brains a near 3-D sense of objects around it.

Similarly, Lexus combines a distant radar that focuses on hard objects, such as other cars, with a short-range beam tuned for softer ones — people or animals. A similar BMW system is called Dynamic Brake Control. Volvo's City Safety, a still-experimental system, adds computerized steering control in addition to the more common braking input. City Safety has been demonstrated on concept vehicles, but it is likely to appear on production models soon. A system called V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle) now under development at General Motors would forgo radar and instead locate other cars on the road using Wi-Fi and GPS technology.