I agree - sometimes common sense has no part in a series of events.
Look at these headlines from ONE news channel in a non-congested city with a population of about 500k, and surrounding suburbs, all within the last few months...

Two Year old killed in Hit and RunAn unattended child ran out from behind a landscaping wall into the street and was struck.

Deadly Hit and Run kills cyclist A cyclist was hit while on the side of the road.

Child was hit, driver of BMW ran... A 4 year old was waiting to cross a street when hit by a BMW convertible (about 1 mile from where I grew up).

Pedestrian hit while crossing street Hit while crossing street in normal fashion.

Pedestrian struck and killed (I do think walking on a 2-lane road is not wise, but sometimes you have no choice.)

There's lots more. There are oodles of them around here this year... sad really.

And lastly, here's an interesting report on Pedestrian deaths in the US. (It was reported by the same news agency in my area that did all the links above. They did the peice because there have been so many hits in our area lately - especially children.) Statistics from NHTSA

To Doug Harden's credit - I think that common sense actually DOES prevail in keeping most grown, mature adults out of harms way, and the statistics show this. It's the young (that don't know better) and the elderly (who tend to lack attentive skills and fast reflexes) that are most likely to get hit.
"The study from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the very old, the very young, and drinkers are the most likely to be hit and killed by a vehicle."

 

A guy in Louisville, KY was hit when he stepped off a TARC bus. Just like 1 step off and BAM your dead. The driver ran. It was a S-10 Blazer.

Also if you impliment standards like this NOW how long before you would see results? I mean how many new cars are sold a year and how long before cars with this 'feature' would be a majority. Seems a little pointless in a large country like America.

 

The national rate for pedestrian fatalities is 1.68 per 100,000 residents per year. Not nearly enough to warrant massive mandatory changes to all vehicles in the U.S.

 

Certainly... I do not in any way propose that such technology andfeatures become mandatory or regulated into production of every vehicle.

But if a company like Jaguar has the funds and the resources to develop such a system - more power to them. If nothing else, maybe it will lead to some other technology that is more adaptable and readily beneficial to all vehicles down the road. Gotta start somewhere.

 

I seriously doubt if they saturated safety equipment like this into the new-car market that it would add $2K to the purchase price per vehicle. Maybe a few hundred $$.

 

The problem is the elderly and the young aren't going to be protected by this. Even with this tech if you hit a 4 year old they're not going to be big enough to benefit from the system, and if you hit an older person they're much more likely to have severe injuries regardless.

Although it is good to see companies thinking more about everyones safety, I also agree with previous posters that this may not be the best direction to be focusing time, money, and energy right now.

 

In the case of pedestrians, the variables are too many to ever come up with a design that would possibly lower the fatality rate appreciably. The problem, as stated above is that we know how to design vehicles to protect occupants when striking another vehicle or immoveable object.....we know about how big the opposing vehicle may be, but at least we know how big the vehicle we are traveling in is.

In the case of pedestrians, the variables are too many to ever come up with a design that would possibly lower the fatality rate appreciably.

Is it a big or small person? Is the person walking toward or away from or perpendicular to the vehicle? At what rate is the vehicle traveling? Do you design the vehicle to keep the person from being thrown over your vehicle and possibly into the path of an unsuspecting vehicle? Must we use materials that will not cause further injury, i.e. glass or steel? At what point are certain injuries to be expected, IOW, are broken limbs and collapsed / bruised organs acceptable?

Add to that the liability for the manufacturer of said vehicles….can you sue if their design does not protect you to some mythical level?

What about repair costs? Suddenly, a minor impact with a pedestrian causes the car to be totaled!?!

Finally, will all cars suddenly look like the Michelin Man in front…..but wait!, What about backing over someone? Maybe we oughta’ make the vehicles all soft & cushy in the back too……..............................somebody please shoot me…….

 

I did spend a month in Europe, Italian Alps to be exact, and I UNDERSTAND why they are doing it, but that doesnt mean that its not funny. Every company has come up with some sort of air bag, pedestrian saftey gizmo, and now a power popping hood.

 

If it were optional, would you pay "a few hundred dollars" for it?