Enlarge / A C-V2X bicycle can alert a C-V2X-enabled car to its presence—note the large yellow icon on the screenshot of the Audi’s digital instrument display. (credit: Audi)
There’s a fundamental flaw in current car safety tech: It’s limited to line of sight. Or, perhaps, line of “sensing” is more accurate, because the way cameras and lidar work is to inspect the perimeter of a vehicle and use predictive algorithms to understand the motion of an object in relation to the motion of the vehicle itself. Which is good, because as carmakers have added elements such as pedestrian and cyclist detection, they’re trying to prevent drivers from hurting the most vulnerable road users. And unfortunately this is necessary, because even though 2023 saw a slight reduction in drivers striking cyclists and pedestrians, according to the most recent data from the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, since 2019 pedestrian fatalities