It sounds like a sci-fi fantasy - cars that can’t crash!
But the fictional notion is about to become reality thanks to new technologies being fitted to vehicles driven in Britain - that in time could save more than 125,000 injuries each year.
Thatcham - the insurer funded research centre - unveiled three revolutionary systems at a major European media conference held at The Transport Research Laboratory last week.
The systems mitigate and in some cases prevent low speed shunts and collisions - the most common type of accident - which creates billions of pounds worth of damage to vehicles and untold pain and misery to motorists and their passengers.
This type of accident makes up no less than 75 % of all motor accidents. So are crash test dummies heading for the employment centre or an early retirement in the sun?
Collision avoidance systems represent the future of accident and injury reduction on UK roads. It will take a number of years before enough cars in the UK ‘car parc’ are fitted with the technology - but once a threshold is reached injury figures will tumble.
Most accidents involve two or more vehicles - so every car fitted with the kit can save damage and injury to multiples of others. Thatcham has been evaluating three different systems: The Volvo City Safety, The Mercedes Distronic Plus and The Honda CMBS.
So that takes care of the driving. What shall we do when sitting in our cars? No not the nose please.
FemaleFirst Jackie Violet