Looking forward to safer highways

New camera technologies, along with better algorithms and software, are enabling the move to active-safety systems that warn and then take control of vehicles in dangerous situations.

Cameras are a new tool being adopted by automakers as they strive to reduce traffic fatalities. These imagers show the way for active-safety systems that hit the brakes or steer cars back into their lanes to avoid accidents.

Forward-looking cameras augment radar used in adaptive cruise-control systems, adding recognition capabilities to radar's distance-measuring capabilities. Together, they can determine when frontal collisions are likely and braking is necessary.