Samsung “Safety Truck” Shows Us a Future with Safer Roads
Auto insurance is legally required in many places due to how unpredictable and dangerous the open road can be. Considering all of the variables at play during a typical city commute, anyone could be involved in a car accident at any time, regardless of driving ability. Unsuitable driving conditions contribute further to the tens of thousands of automotive deaths each year, and in 2013, over 32,000 lives were lost to automotive accidents.
In Argentina, things are even worse. Statistically speaking, almost one person per hour dies in a traffic accident, and the vast majority of those accidents occur when a vehicle is trying to overtake another vehicle on one of Argentina’s many narrow roads. Hundreds of the country’s roads are one-lane, making it even more difficult and dangerous for drivers to overtake large trucks.
While you may not have known about Argentina’s high rate of automotive fatalities, you’re likely familiar with the company that has stepped forward with a possible solution. Samsung, the Korean company behind many of the world’s most popular smartphones, displays, and appliances, has found a way to overcome this issue on a small scale using the very same display technology they’ve been developing for years.
By mounting four large outdoor monitors to the backs of several large trucks and pairing those screens with a wireless camera on the front of the vehicle, Samsung has created the world’s first “see-through” trucks, allowing drivers to see the road ahead of a truck from behind it, virtually eliminating the same blind spot responsible for nearly 80% of automotive fatalities in Argentina.
Unfortunately, this won’t be lowering your car insurance quote any time soon (although it may some day). Safer roads make for lower risks to insurance companies, and that means lower rates, but before any of that can happen, Samsung has to get this groundbreaking technology approved. Further testing will be required, and Samsung is working with the appropriate organizations to launch this technology is countries like Argentina where it’s needed most, but there’s still a long road ahead for Samsung’s Safety Truck.
But what about self-driving cars? A world where cars can communicate to each other and avoid collisions automatically and reliably isn’t too far off, and many view Samsung’s Safety Truck as more of a publicity stunt than a serious step forward in automotive safety. Furthermore, Samsung’s original Safety Truck, seen in promotional videos for the technology, is no longer operational. It’s unclear what rendered the Safety Truck inoperable, but one thing is for certain: Samsung is starting from scratch, and there are plenty of obstacles yet to overcome before these Smart Trucks will start saving lives.
What do you think? Should Samsung be focusing on self-driving cars, a technology many consider the best candidate for safer roads, or should they develop their Safety Truck technology and implement it in as many countries as possible? Let us know in the comments below, and if you’re looking for low-cost auto insurance, California is home to Cost-U-Less Insurance, the leading name in personal, affordable insurance.
