Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., announced today that it has developed a third-generation Advanced Safety Vehicle (ASV) installed with a Nissan-developed vehicle-to-vehicle communications system which alerts the driver to potential collisions in five common driving scenarios. The driver is alerted through color-coded displays on an on-board monitor and an audio alert. If the driver releases the brake and continues despite the alert, the alert becomes louder.

Photo: http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/NEWS/2005/_STORY/051004-01-FUGA.jpg

The five scenarios are:
# Potential head-on collision at junction with bad visibility
# Potential collision with oncoming vehicle when turning right
# Potential collision with motorcycle when turning left
# Potential collision with stationary vehicle
# Potential side impact or collision when changing lanes (vehicles heading in same direction)

The new system is expected to improve overall road safety by enabling drivers to react more quickly to avoid such potential collisions. The above five collisions account for 60% of all traffic accidents in Japan, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

Like other Japanese automakers, Nissan is working with the government to develop a standardized vehicle-to-vehicle communications system to reduce traffic accidents. On Oct. 12 and 13, Nissan's new ASV will participate in test driving events sponsored by the government in Tomakomai, Hokkaido.

In addition to vehicle-to-vehicle communications research, Nissan is also working on an Intelligent Transport System that communicates with existing road infrastructure to reduce traffic accidents and alleviate congestion. For example, traffic lights that transmit signals to drivers alerting them to speed up or slow down depending on the color of the light. On June 30, Nissan announced that it would begin testing such a project in Kanagawa prefecture near Tokyo by the end of the year.

At the same time, Nissan continues to actively promote the production of even safer cars based on "Safety Shield," a proactive Nissan safety concept unveiled in 2004. Under this approach, Nissan believes that the driver is key to improved safety when it comes to helping to prevent an accident from occurring. Nissan's focus is on how the company can best support the driver with technology that helps him or her avoid an accident or minimizes damage in case of a crash.