The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of U.S. Dept of Transportation just passed a more aggressive requirement which could help improve the ability of a car to avoid an accident.
I’ve had two electric cars and have, unfortunately, totaled the both of them.
The car was damaged because the tow truck driver had secured it incorrectly when the vehicle needed to be returned to the dealer. This mistake resulted in $100,000 of damage on a car worth less than half as much.
After knocking me unconscious, the car nearly hit me and killed me. It then accelerated quickly to around 50 mph. After hitting another car, it continued to accelerate and crashed into a wall of rock (which wasn’t amused). This incident clearly shows that the accident-avoidance tech was not working or was disabled.
Thus, the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) new rule requiring advanced security tech in all new vehicles and trucks could potentially have saved both my car and myself from breaking my spine and saved the lives of others involved in similar accidents.
This week, I will tell you what happened, why we needed the Guardian Angel feature of autonomous driving, and why DOT’s new rule is literally life-saving. My Product of the week is the first Level 3 car to be sold on the U.S. market based on Nvidia technology.
My Auto Accident
After the sun had set, I was back at the intersection two days after I was T-boned. This is one of my local most dangerous intersections. The darkness made it difficult to see the traffic. I was terrified as the cars were backed around me. A car in front of me blocked my view, so I could not see what was coming at me from the right.
Because my near accident came from the left I leaned forward when I entered intersection without realizing a car had arrived from the right blocking my passage (I went straight). When I hit the car, which was going about 15 mph at the time, the airbag blew up, knocking me out. I then accelerated into the car, which I hit. (Electric cars have tons of torque) This pushed the car across the street.
My back was injured when I hit the curb at around 50mph. The car almost went over the fence. The airbag had already deflated when I hit the rock wall. This totaled my car. The police and EMTs were already there when I woke up.
It is important to note that there have been so many accidents at this intersection, that it has now become a four-way junction. This was because several accidents occurred after mine. The owner of the business on the corner reported that his parked cars were regularly hit in similar accidents.
The plan is eventually to make that intersection a traffic round, but because of the poor visibility, it was always a 4-way-stop.
Electric Car Problem
If you were to hit a car in a gas-powered car, without active accident prevention or cross traffic alerting, it would have stalled, even if the driver tried to accelerate. This would have caused far less injury and damage. But electric cars can produce 100% torque right from a complete stop. As I discovered, this allows them to not only overcome an accident but also accelerate at supercar speed afterward.
If I hadn’t hit the rock wall, my car would have reached triple digits. I would then have been in danger of dying when I finally hit something to stop it. So I am lucky that I hit the rock wall.
This event is a good example of why electric vehicles need much more robust accident-prevention technology than gas powered cars, especially for collisions where the driver could be rendered unconscious.
Autonomous car advantage
Current plans call for a monthly charge to activate autonomous car tech (the technology will be initially available in the most expensive electric vehicles). The car can also be equipped with a feature Toyota called Guardian Angel if you prefer not to have it drive itself.
Guardian Angel uses autopilot technology to stop you from making stupid mistakes like mine. It will take over the car if you do something that can cause you to be injured or even killed. The technology ensures that the autonomous car technology’s life-saving and injury reduction features will be realized.
Until the DOT ruling it was unlikely that this technology would be used on anything other than the most expensive and exclusive vehicles, and not move down the market until after 2030.
DOT Steps in
The week before last, there was a DOT effectively mandated Guardian Angel, which offers collision prevention features, will soon be mandatory in all vehicles. This technology will be required for electric vehicles in order to avoid collisions with pedestrians and cars by using heavy braking and avoidance of up to 62mph.
This requirement will not kick in until the year 2029, so people have time to get used to the idea and improve the technology. However, the Guardian Angel feature that is available on cars such as the Mercedes below which I’ve highlighted as Product of the week in the 2025 model years will begin to appear with the new wave of autonomous vehicles.
This should help protect more people than would have otherwise been the case by 2030.
Wrapping up
This recent decision by the DOT caught my attention because of the recent accident I had and the pain I will suffer for the rest my life. If this forced march towards better collision avoidance had already been implemented, it would have saved both my car and back and protected my life.
This ruling will make electric vehicles, which are able to withstand the same accidents as gas-powered cars, much safer. This will reduce road accidents and pedestrian deaths.
It will also hopefully prevent me from ever totaling a second car. If you are looking to ensure the safety of your family and yourself, then consider buying a car with advanced accident prevention.
Nice work, DOT!
Mercedes EQS Level 3 Autonomous Drive
Mercedes EQS electric cars and the gas-powered S-Class have been approved in the U.S. for Level 3 hands-off autonomous driving. They are currently only certified in California, Nevada and I expect wider certification in the next few months.
The EQS, and not the S Class, is the vehicle I will be focusing on, because it is an electric car. This is the model where the technology as a safety feature is most likely to have the biggest impact, considering the problem I mentioned above with electric vehicles. The technologyThe, which is largely from Nvidia and shows that the company has a stronghold in AI, is called Drive Pilot All autonomous vehicles will have advanced collision avoidance technologies.
The EQS costs around $120,000 and is a luxurious vehicle. However, it isn’t a high performance electric car with a 0-60 time of just over 6 seconds. It has 350 miles of range though, making this one of the best electric ranges.
Drive Pilot is a Level 3 system, which means it will only work hands-free on highways. If you want to get more than just safety benefits from Drive Pilot, you’ll have to pay around $2,500 annually. It is only a Level 3 system and will only operate hands-free in highways. (Level 4 works for cities and level 5 replaces the driver completely). The EQS comes in both sedan and SUV versions. Although the design may not be as sporty, I still think it’s a nice vehicle.
The Mercedes-Benz EQS Sedan for 2025 is expected to arrive in U.S. showrooms by the end of 2024. (Image Credit: Mercedes-Benz USA)
Mercedes-Benz is known for being one of the most safe brands on the Midsized Luxury Car Market. The EQS with its advanced self-driving tech should be another one. They make a lot of sense. AMG You can also find out more about the following: Maybach The price of the car is close to $200,000. This is way out of reach for many.
Everyone wants to make sure that their family and pets are safe. The Mercedes EQS, with Drive Pilot should be the most safe electric car on the roads in 2024. It is my Product of the week.
