New demonstration shows how Ford driving technology can help reduce phantom traffic jams

20/07/2018

In Germany, the annual summer exodus of holidaying families to the warmer southern regions is such a phenomenon that it has its own nickname: the “Blechlawine” – or “metal avalanche”.

On these extra-busy roads – commonplace across Europe during the summer holiday season –so-called phantom traffic jams often occur, seemingly out of nowhere.

These frustrating jams are easily caused by human factors – such as merging into traffic without signalling, distracted driving, poor driving habits and reaction times, or unnecessary braking. Once one driver hits the brakes, a chain reaction can occur as other drivers tap their brakes, causing the flow of traffic to grind to a halt.

Now, Ford and researchers from Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Tennessee, U.S., have demonstrated that such hold-ups could be minimised with widespread use of technology already offered on Ford vehicles from the Fiesta small car to the Transit van.

Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) technology can automatically slow down and speed up to keep pace with the car in front without getting fatigued or distracted.

“A fun summer holiday family road trip can quickly become irritating when traffic slows to a crawl – especially once you learn there was no reason for the gridlock,” said Torsten Wey, manager, Driver Assistance and Safety Technology, Ford of Europe. “We encourage Ford owners who have Adaptive Cruise Control to use it during their summer travels in the hope this smart technology today can be that first step to help ease commutes.”

On a closed Ford test track, 36 drivers simulated normal highway traffic using ACC technology. Those drivers then drove the same course, but without the technology – meaning they had to manually brake and accelerate the vehicle.

The results: vehicles using ACC reduced the impact of a braking event more than those vehicles without the activated technology. Even with just one in three vehicles using ACC, the test yielded similar traffic-busting benefits.


See the effects for yourself in the short film:

“For years, traffic researchers and engineers have been looking to smart vehicle technologies to reduce traffic congestion, whether that’s vehicles that talk to each other or vehicles that can predict the road ahead,” said Daniel Work, civil engineering professor at Vanderbilt University. “This demonstration was a unique opportunity to understand how commercially-available active driver-assist technologies can be used to positively influence traffic flow.”

Ford currently offers Adaptive Cruise Control on 80 per cent of the company’s passenger and commercial vehicle line-up in Europe, and with the all-new Ford Focus recently introduced an enhanced version of the technology featuring Stop & Go, Speed Sign Recognition and Lane-Centring functionality for effortlessly negotiating stop-start traffic.

A previous EU-funded joint research project led from the Ford Research and Innovation Centre, Aachen, Germany, concluded that vehicles equipped with ACC and Forward Collision Warning technology could help prevent or mitigate the effects of more than 5 per cent of motorway accidents resulting in injuries; save drivers more than 3 million hours per year stuck in traffic; and reduce passenger car fuel consumption by 3 per cent.


Contact us for more information on Adaptive Cruise Control and to find out which vehicles come with Adaptive Cruise Control today.

Email or Call Me BackBook a Test DriveBook an Appointment

News

Offers

View all the latest Promotions from Bright Ford

News

View all the latest news from Bright Ford



Welcome to Bright Ford

Whether you’re at Bright Ford to buy something special, or just to browse, we want to offer you a very personal level of service that leaves you with a great impression and gives you an experience that shows we genuinely care about your needs. 

Bright Ford is part of the Bright Motor Group, one of Ireland’s most trusted vehicle retailers and our Ford dealerships are located in Airside (Swords), Navan Road (Ashtown) Dublin & Bray (authorised Ford service) in Wicklow.

New and used Ford cars and vans   

Discover the wide selection of new Ford cars at Bright Ford. We supply the full range including the Ford Focus, Puma, Kuga, Mustang Mach-e and more! 

You can also explore the full range of Ford commercial vehicles in our new Bright Ford Transit Centre at Airside, Swords. From the iconic Ford Transit van range to the Ranger pick-up truck, you’ll find a Ford commercial vehicle to suit every job.

Selling quality new and used vehicles is what we pride ourselves on. We guarantee that every vehicle is prepared to the very highest standard at our own Service and Preparation Centres. You can browse our stock of "Bright As New", approved used Ford cars and vans online - get in touch today to arrange a test drive or to learn more about any of our vehicles.

Ford Service

We provide a full Ford Aftersales facility. Whatever your requirements, our team of qualified Ford technicians are here to help keep your vehicle in peak condition, with the use of sophisticated on-board diagnostic software to ensure that your vehicle is properly cared for. We have invested heavily in workshop training, both in-house and externally, to make sure that our technicians are kept up-to-date with all the latest advances in vehicle technology.