As we all know Argentina has one of the highest car accident rates in the world, with most of them involving passing on two-lane roads, survey says one person dies in every hour in a car accident. Driving behind the semi-trailers and especially when overtaking its very risky, because they often have to first move out from behind the truck to see if the road ahead is clear before passing. This is particularly dangerous on single-lane highways because such a maneuver can mean driving into the path of oncoming traffic Hence, to overcome this Samsung has come up with a great idea to make things a little bit easier by mounting wireless cameras on the front to capture views of the road ahead of the truck and sends a live feed to a transparent LCD screen installed and they’ve attached giant TVs to the back so that drivers can see the road ahead before trying to pass. This view is enabled both day and night, and is said to have the potential to significantly reduce overtaking accidents, as well as providing trailing drivers with information on road hazards ahead well in time for them to react.
Cost wise:
The truck’s prototype has already been tested, though no models are currently on the road. Samsung claims to be working together with local governments to figure out how to optimize the system for live road use; however the idea doesn’t appear economically practical at large scale. The camera might be cheap and simple enough to install, but four displays per truck would be a major investment for any transport company to make, Still, it’s impressive that Samsung has managed to overcome the technical challenges (like solar glare). The short video below shows the system in use on the highway. Samsung may already be well-known for its AMOLED smartphone and tablet displays, washers, dryers, refrigerators, and TVs. But given the implications for driver safety, perhaps we could have a self-driving Safety Truck on the road one day. Samsung said, “Seeks to enrich the lives of people through innovation. But more than that, this time the goal is more ambitious: to save lives.”
