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Christopher Bruce2013-01-22 16:21:00

Mercedes Aiming to Stop Wrong-Way Driving

New system monitors road signs and warns drivers

 
 
Slideshow
The system will be available on the E-Class and S-Class at first

Mercedes-BenzMercedes-BenzMercedes-BenzGermany, 1924 > present197 models
9852 photos
33 videos
wants to save lives by preventing people from driving the wrong way on highways. While this problem might seem innocuous, it is actually a serious problem, especially in Germany and Austria.

The phenomenon is called geisterfahren (phantom driving) in German. The German Federal Department of Transport estimates that there a 1,700 cases a year, and Austria warned drivers 366 times in 2011 on the radio of these drivers, down from a high of 550 cases in 2004. In the last three months, 25 people have died from phantom drivers in Germany. There are many reasons for wrong-way driving being some prevalent in the region including road confusion and suicide attempts. 

Mercedes hopes to stop this by programming its camera system to recognize wrong way road signs and warn drivers with a red sign on the instrument panel and a series of loud beeps. It also compares the data from the camera to the navigation system to make sure that the system is operating correctly. The system will be available on the S-ClassS-ClassMercedes-Benz S-ClassGermany, 1972 > present6 series
293 versions
353 photos
1 video
and E-ClassE-Class Gen.5Mercedes-Benz E-Class Gen.5Germany, 2009 > present345 versions
755 photos

The camera system can also detect speed limit signs and other road signs. 

"On our journey towards the vision of accident-free driving, Mercedes-Benz orientates itself on real-life accident situations in order to provide the best possible protection to all road users. The very idea that we will be using the Mercedes‑Benz Intelligent Drive system to reduce the risk of vehicles unintentionally travelling against the flow of traffic once again brings us one big step closer to this goal," said Professor Thomas Weber, head of research at Mercedes-Benz Cars.

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Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz

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