Ford Pitches in to Help Make Roads Safer
Recently, Ford announced a landmark road safety data sharing agreement to help manufacturers make roads safer. By agreeing to share data, Ford is aiding manufacturers in having access to key information to analyze and synthesize to make roads safer for everyone.
Ford’s Local Hazard Information System
First introduced in early 2020 with the new Ford Puma, the Ford Local Hazard Information System is currently being enabled on all newly built Ford vehicles. The system is designed to warn drivers of road safety dangers that could be around the corner. It is through this system that Ford will share data with other vehicles about hazards on the roads. In doing so, they will give drivers the advanced notice to avoid these dangers and make the road a safer place for all of us.
The Agreement
With this landmark road safety data sharing agreement, Ford is committing to help drivers of connected vehicles across multiple auto brands. With this connectivity, drivers will have advanced warning capabilities for potentially dangerous driving conditions on the roads.
Pete Geffers, the Manager of Connected Vehicles for Ford Europe, said about the agreement, “Connected vehicles help drivers to anticipate hazards that may be lurking just around the next bend. Road-safety data sharing ecosystems are more effective the more vehicles and telematics sources they include extending the benefits of this technology to those who do not drive Ford cars represents a significant step forwards.”
How the Agreement Works
Led by the European Commission-backed Data for Road Safety partnership, the new agreement Ford announced will enable vehicles from other manufacturers to identify and share information about potential hazards encountered to improve road safety by preparing drivers for dangers ahead of them.
The agreement was developed after 16 months spent establishing a proof of concept. To do so, tens of millions of safety-related traffic information (SRTI) messages were exchanged between different vehicles, such as through the Ford Local Hazard Information System. Ford’s new partnership will include BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Volvo in the data-sharing ecosystem, and the space is open to new participants from other manufacturers.
How the Data Sharing Works
The goal of the partnership is to share data about hazards to improve road safety. So how is Ford going to do this? The process is actually pretty simple for drivers. Data from vehicles from participating manufacturers will be anonymized and computed onboard other vehicles to determine the presence and location of potential hazards. This data can include info about fog lights, emergency braking, or airbag activation, among other things.
Warning messages from each vehicle will be sent to a secure Ford server for the data to be distributed to SRTI partners to share with their own vehicles. When relevant, SRTI messages are immediately sent to vehicles in the vicinity of a potential hazard, which the driver can see as it appears on their dashboard display. Additionally, the data improves safety because it can be used to alert emergency services and provide accurate location information in real time to help accelerate assistance, which is especially important when serious injuries occur.
Ford Dealers Near You
Searching for “Smiths near me“? Smith Ford in Lowell, Indiana is the place to find a new vehicle outfitted with the Ford Local Hazard Information System. Visit us today to view the latest Ford technology, take a test drive and more! Our Smith Ford dealership hours are Monday-Thursday: 9:00am-7:00pm, Friday: 9:00am-6:00pm, Saturday: 9:00am-4:00pm, and closed on Sundays. Hope to see you soon!
