Automotive engineers have been working to improve vehicle safety ever since the first car rolleddown some pathway well over 100 years ago. Today, there are many new technologies being developedthat will improve the safety of future vehicles. Featuring the 69 best safety-related SAE technical papers of 2003, this book provides the most comprehensive information available on current and emerging developments in automotive safety. It gives readers a feel for the direction engineers are taking to reduce deaths and injuries of vehicle occupants as well as pedestrians. All of the papers selected for this book meet the criteria for inclusion in SAE Transactions--the definitive collection of the year's best technical research in automotive engineering technology.

This book takes a look at fully automated, autonomous vehicles and discusses many open questions: How can autonomous vehicles be integrated into the current transportation system with diverse users and human drivers? Where do automated vehicles fall under current legal frameworks? What risks are associated with automation and how will society respond to these risks? How will the marketplace react to automated vehicles and what changes may be necessary for companies? Experts from Germany and the United States define key societal, engineering, and mobility issues related to the automation of vehicles. They discuss the decisions programmers of automated vehicles must make to enable vehicles to perceive their environment, interact with other road users, and choose actions that may have ethical consequences. The authors further identify expectations and concerns that will form the basis for individual and societal acceptance of autonomous driving. While the safety benefits of such vehicles are tremendous, the authors demonstrate that these benefits will only be achieved if vehicles have an appropriate safety concept at the heart of their design. Realizing the potential of automated vehicles to reorganize traffic and transform mobility of people and goods requires similar care in the design of vehicles and networks. By covering all of these topics, the book aims to provide a current, comprehensive, and scientifically sound treatment of the emerging field of “autonomous driving".

Automotive engineers have been working to improve vehicle safety ever since the first car rolleddown some pathway well over 100 years ago. Today, there are many new technologies being developedthat will improve the safety of future vehicles. Featuring the 69 best safety-related SAE technical papers of 2003, this book provides the most comprehensive information available on current and emerging developments in automotive safety. It gives readers a feel for the direction engineers are taking to reduce deaths and injuries of vehicle occupants as well as pedestrians. All of the papers selected for this book meet the criteria for inclusion in SAE Transactions--the definitive collection of the year's best technical research in automotive engineering technology.

The automotive industry appears close to substantial change engendered by “self-driving” technologies. This technology offers the possibility of significant benefits to social welfare—saving lives; reducing crashes, congestion, fuel consumption, and pollution; increasing mobility for the disabled; and ultimately improving land use. This report is intended as a guide for state and federal policymakers on the many issues that this technology raises.

Automotive Innovation: The Science and Engineering behind Cutting-Edge Automotive Technology provides a survey of innovative automotive technologies in the auto industry. Automobiles are rapidly changing, and this text explores these trends. IC engines, transmissions, and chassis are being improved, and there are advances in digital control, manufacturing, and materials. New vehicles demonstrate improved performance, safety and efficiency factors; electric vehicles represent a green energy alternative, while sensor technologies and computer processors redefine the nature of driving. The text explores these changes, the engineering and science behind them, and directions for the future.

Account of how and why cars kill, and why the automobile manufacturers have failed to make cars safe.

Thanks to years of research and development by vehicle manufacturers, suppliers, legislation, and the entire safety community, the side airbag has become a critical safety device to reduce injury and save lives. This new collection of technical research highlights the progression of these essential safety features, providing a complete and thorough perspective through the analysis of both early patents and recent side airbag system developments. Advances in Side Airbag Systems begins with an introduction by editor Donald E. Struble, chronicling the progress made since the mid-1980s in offering improved side impact protection to the motoring public. Authored by leading experts in their respective fields, this book features a comprehensive collection of 26 landmark technical papers. Its scope includes not only thorax airbags, but other inflatable devices designed for side impacts and rollovers. To the extent that technological infrastructure considerations are unique to side airbags, papers in these areas are included as well.