We’ve discussed in this space before about how Mercedes-Benz is working to develop autonomous automobiles because with enough advanced safety technologies the number of car accidents could decrease significantly. Recently, legendary CBS news program 60 Minutes featured a Mercedes-Benz S500 model that was able to drive itself with a journalist along for the ride.
60 Minutes opened their program by discussing what causes car accidents, most of which are caused by human error, and according to a safety regulator who spoke with CBS, many of those accidents could be avoided if autonomous driving were ubiquitous.
Knowing that we’re talking about approximately 22,000 lives a year, it’s easy to see why the higher-ups at Mercedes-Benz are working so hard to make this technology happen. The television bit focused on Ralf Herrtwich, the man who runs autonomous vehicle research for Mercedes-Benz, and he pointed out that a similar vehicle has driven in real traffic for 20,000 miles without an accident.
To be completely fair, this kind of technology doesn’t mean drivers can tune out and take a nap while the vehicle goes on autopilot, but it doesn’t mean that some of the typical driver fatigue and distractions can be less deadly. For fans of Mercedes-Benz in Florida, this just means an overall safer automobile, which is something that consumers all over the globe should be very excited about.
We here at Fields Motorcars certainly are, and we’re looking forward to actually carrying a number of Mercedes-Benz models in the coming years that include increasingly effective autonomous driving features!
Catch the full Mercedes-Benz 60 Minutes spot over at CBSNews.com.
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