Traffic is the bane of modern driving. No matter how hard we try, or how many lights and systems we put in place, we are very likely to get stuck in a traffic jam. Honda has come to our rescue with the announcement of a system that can detect possible traffic congestions and take steps to correct the problem.
The system is not a workaround on detecting potential traffic and suggesting another route; it in fact checks if the driver’s driving pattern could lead to a traffic jam and alerts the driver of the mistake. Developed together with the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo, the system keeps check on the driver’s acceleration and deceleration patterns to provide information through a color coded display.
Recent tests showed the system managed to increase the average speed of the vehicle by 23%, while fuel efficiency of trailing vehicles increased by 8%. Honda will soon put the system into road tests in Indonesia and Italy, and make it commercially available soon afterwards.