Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous vehicles (AVs) could make a huge difference in tackling the safety crisis on today’s roads. In the US alone, 100 people die in traffic incidents every day. However, global safety progress has been hampered by several obstacles and many members of the public remain ignorant of or misinformed about the safety benefits that new technology can offer. US start-up Zoox is determined to tackle this challenge head on.
The company, acquired by Amazon in 2020, revealed its purpose-built fully autonomous, all-electric bi-directional vehicle in December that year. The potential for driverless vehicles in both delivery and ride-hailing could be huge, particularly for early movers on the market. Zoox is optimistic it will be one of the first driverless vehicles on public roads and potentially set a new bar for safe mobility.
In summer 2021 it released its second Safety Report, focussing on the safety innovations in this upcoming model. Mark Rosekind, Chief Safety Innovation Officer at Zoox, claims it will introduce more than 100 safety-related technologies that do not exist on cars currently on the road. The report highlights nine of the most significant, offering a glimpse into the sort of potential that comes with designing and building a vehicle from the ground up. Safety is one of the main selling points of AVs, but as Rosekind warns, misconceptions pose a serious threat.
