Stability control, blind spot sensors, fingerprint scans among key features of new vehicle technology

As Canadian auto insurers face an increasing frequency of claims, auto manufacturers are poised to introduce new technology as early as 2010 that would make cars significantly more expensive to fix, though less likely to crash.
Greg Horn of Mitchell International cited new technology among his “top five key trends” that promise to change the collision repair industry (and, by extension, the insurance industry).
Horn delivered his presentation to the Canadian Collision Industry Forum (CCIF) in Mississauga on Jan. 26.
Horn said sometime during or after 2010, new vehicle technologies will be introduced that promise to increase driver safety. Already, he noted, since 1980, traffic deaths have decreased by 50%, in large part due to safer vehicles.
By 2010, he predicted, auto manufacturers will be poised to introduce new technologies, such as electronic stability control, telematics (sensor technology), biometrics and external air bags.
Right now, he noted, auto manufacturers are working on developing electronic stability control, including a gyro sensor that can automatically adjust transmission speed and/or brake if a vehicle deviates by 35% from a standard stability measure.
Also, new telematic technology includes sensors that detect vehicles in a driver’s blind spot. Drivers attempting to change lanes while a vehicle is in their blind spot will receive an audio warning. “My wife has been doing that for 20 years,” Horn quipped.
In addition, telematic technology is being developed that will issue an audio warning if the driver is following another vehicle too closely. The new technology would be able to apply the brakes if the two vehicles get too close to one another.
Biometric devices have been proposed as anti-theft devices. Retinal scan technology is being developed for the purpose of vehicle entry. Also, as early as 2010, new door handles could be equipped with technology that detects a car owner’s fingerprints and denies access to the car if there isn’t a fingerprint match.
“Can you imagine how much a damaged door handle will cost with this technology?” Horn said.