It seems that Infiniti has come up with a radical new approach to driving safety. As cited in a recent advertisement, at 60 MPH you travel 88 feet in ONE SECOND (emphasis added). If something distracts you, that could be 88 feet in the wrong direction. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration:
"...55% of fatal accidents are caused by drivers leaving their lane"
Infiniti responded by developing a Lane Departure Warning System. A camera behind the rearview mirror recognizes the visible lane markings. Next, a microprocessor compares vehicle speed and lane position to determine if the car is about to leave the lane. Then, visual and audio warnings alert the driver. Finally, a blood sample is quickly and painlessly obtained through a needle system in the driver's seat that gently pricks the buttocks to determine if alcohol content is a factor, shutting the engine off if the blood alcohol reading exceeds legal limits (OK, I'm making that last part up!).
Many years ago, I had the opportunity to actually road test Infiniti's concept sans technology! I was driving my 1970 El Camino...
... from Redding California to Sacramento. As you may know, south of Willows things get a little boring. Yeah, maybe even a little more than boring. No scenery, a long flat section of I-5, little traffic, and a hot summer day led to implementing various strategies to keep awake. At one point, I noticed looking in the rear view mirror that I could see a reflection of the road ahead, in my sunglasses. Although the image was very small, and I confess to using a little bit of peripheral vision, I actually drove quite a ways by looking at the reflected image of the road ahead as returned by my rear view mirror into my sunglasses! If only I had applied for a patent at that time.
