Driving the Future

With around 40 million motor vehicles (yes, you heard that right) on the roads in the UK, we’re all in the same, erm...boat, when it comes to believing that motorised vehicles are a necessary part of our daily lives. Even if you don’t possess your own car, you might own a motorbike or a van, take taxis or ride the bus every day.

But what do you think Britain’s roads will look like in 50 years? Can we expect to be cruising around in hovercars like the ones in Back to the Future? Will we all be teleporting to our destination instead? And will it be safer to travel from A to B or will regular road accidents still be the norm. Read on, and let us show you just a glimpse into the motoring crystal ball.

1. Talking Cars

As car technology advances, we are likely to see vehicles that can interact with each other and share data – much like a network of desktop computers. How will this help? Computer feedback relating to traffic density, road conditions, speed limits and the weather will allow vehicles to find the fastest and safest route to a destination with minimal driver input.

2. The Big Data Revolution

Thanks to on-board computers able to operate everything from the stereo and navigation to the brakes and accelerator, the era of "big data" is coming to the automobile.

These rolling computers produce an enormous amount of data – mostly about people's behaviour behind the wheel – that can be analysed to spot trends and fight inefficiencies. And thanks to this data, your car may soon know where you want to go before you even pull out of the driveway.

3. External Air bags

A firm in the USA is developing a large air bag capable of fitting into rocker panels on the side of a vehicle. By utilising a system of cameras and radar on the car, it is hoped that a vehicle will soon be able to detect an imminent collision, send a signal to the central computer before deploying a large, external airbag in just 30 milliseconds to surround the vehicle.

In this way, the side air bag would absorb some of the energy of the collision before the vehicle's frame was struck, reducing the effects of an impact on both machine and passengers on board.

The revolution in driving experience has just begun and the pace of innovation is only increasing as car manufacturers search for the secret to safer, smoother, faster motoring.

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