Choosing a safe and sustainable car

Intelligent vehicle features

ITS

ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems) are systems which use computer monitoring for a range of functions such as redirecting traffic away from congestion, advising drivers of weather and road conditions, and alerting rescue services to accidents.

ITS includes ‘intelligent vehicles’ which have features to help drivers avoid accidents, advise them of congestion and route alternatives. Many ‘driver assistance’ features come under ITS, such as:

• navigation / route guidance to avoid congestion and accidents – GPS based
• vision enhancement for night time driving
• adaptive cruise control – slows down a vehicle on cruise control as it approaches a slower vehicle from behind
• intelligent speed control – GPS tells the vehicle and / or driver what the speed limit in the area is
• lane keeping assistance – can make minor changes to steering to keep car in lane
• roll stability control (Electronic Stability Control - ESC) – prevents loss of control while changing lanes, on blind bends or slippery surfaces
• drowsy driver warning systems.

Some ITS systems include collision warning and avoidance – such as intersection and forward collision warning, obstacle detection, lane change assistance, lane departure warning, rollover warning, road departure warning and rear impact warning.

ITS also includes collision notification, which uses sensors and GPS to advise emergency services of the location of crashes and even the number of injured passengers.
 
While some ITS systems are starting to be available in cars in New Zealand now, others are still in development and may become common features in cars for some years. Some of the systems that come under ITS depend on a supporting network within the roading system. Without this network, the technology can’t be used. Before paying extra for a car with an ITS system, consider whether you will be able to use it.

GPS

GPS (global positioning system) uses satellite signals to determine your exact location and send this information to the driver. These systems can be fairly sophisticated, showing your car’s position on a street map which is displayed on a screen on the dashboard. GPS allows a driver to keep track of where they are and can suggest the best route to follow to reach a designated location. See ITS.

Collision notification

Advanced collision notification systems work after a crash. They use in-vehicle sensors, GPS technology and wireless communication to tell rescue services the crash location and in some cases, the number of injured people and the nature of their injuries. See ITS.

Active suspension

Active suspension works by adjusting the 'hardness' of shock absorbers during cornering. This limits the vehicle's roll in the corner and improves road holding and stability. This is often promoted as a feature to improve the driving experience, but the extra stability also reduces the chance of leaving the road or rolling over.

Adaptive cruise control

This is a feature that helps to avoid crashes by slowing down a car on cruise control, as it approaches a slower vehicle ahead. See ITS.

Last updated: 2 October 2007