Featured Image Credit: Volkswagen
In a time when Tesla is being torn to pieces due to its self-driving technology being involved in hit-and-run incidents with wildlife, Volkswagen is being praised for its life-saving Emergency Assist technology.
Picture the scene of a busy highway. A medical emergency causes someone to pass out at the wheel, endangering potential passengers and others on the road.
Volkswagen's latest innovation deals with this harrowing situation, with Emergency Assist hopefully preventing it from ever happening again.
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The official VW site explains how Emergency Assist 'enhances driver safety' by monitoring driver activity. If they don't respond, the system keeps the vehicle in its lane, activates the hazard lights, and brings the car to a controlled stop.
Footage of Emergency Assist has been shared on Reddit, and with it, it's bought some car owners to tears.
The video shows a reenactment of someone passing out behind the wheel.
The vehicle sounds an alert and repeatedly brakes to try and wake the driver up.
With them still being unresponsive, the car moves to the emergency lane with its hazard lights on. It then sounds the horn to alert other drivers and makes an SOS call.
Responding to the video, one person wrote: "This is a great idea and I would make it mandatory for trucks and busses. There were really many cases in Europe when a bus driver fell asleep and a lots of kids injured or died because of that. If this system would have been there, many injuries and loss of lives could have been avoided."
Another added: "Paramedic here. This video actually made me cry, and I'm pretty damn hardened. I was doing well up until the point where it hit the hazards and started hooting to call for help.
This is a FANTASTIC idea. How well it works, I dunno, but damn I'm so glad someone's trying!"
One truck driver said it's a wonderful idea as long as the kinks can be ironed out, with someone else joking that it's not Tesla, so there shouldn't be any kinks.
Someone else concluded: "A system like this could be a game-changer in emergencies. It's not about replacing the driver but enhancing safety when unforeseen situations arise. Innovative tech can help prevent accidents and potentially save lives, which is a win in any scenario."
There were the obvious naysayers complaining that it's another case of tech replacing humans and how we shouldn't be putting control in the hands of robots, however, most agreed it's a great idea from Volkswagen.
Some VW cars already have autonomous braking and monitoring for pedestrians and cyclists, but Emergency Assist seems to be the next evolution in car safety. Great job VW, great job.
