Helping cars see better at night

Helping cars see better at night is key to reducing pedestrian deaths

No one was crossing Kercheval Avenue on The Hill in Grosse Pointe Farms as a minivan made its way through the shopping district one evening this fall, but people were clearly nearby.

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They could be seen there on the laptop screen from inside the vehicle, their presence confirmed by glowing images captured by a thermal camera.

But the pedestrians weren’t on the street, and it took a moment to realize that they were actually on the sidewalk, obscured by decorative plantings and the darkness that coated everything not illuminated.

It wasn’t a great night for spotting pedestrians on this particular weeknight on a drive through a couple of the Grosse Pointes and the east side of Detroit. Maybe the pandemic was keeping people inside. Those who were out, however, were not hard to see, at least on the screen.

The eyeball view through the windshield was a different story, with darkness providing an effective camouflage. And darkness can be deadly for pedestrians.

In fact, most pedestrians who die in crashes are killed at night, but nighttime has been when the technology designed to prevent pedestrian crashes struggles most.

Last year, AAA revealed some startling deficiencies in driver assistance systems designed to protect pedestrians.

Thermal imaging company FLIR recently conducted testing in Michigan to show how its sensors could help advanced driver assistance systems detect pedestrians in dark conditions. (Photo: FLIR)
Thermal imaging company FLIR recently conducted testing in Michigan to show how its sensors could help advanced driver assistance systems detect pedestrians in dark conditions. (Photo: FLIR)

At night, several test vehicles equipped with automatic emergency braking systems and pedestrian detection were found to be “completely ineffective.” Rather than bash the automakers’ efforts, AAA encouraged continued development of these systems because of the scope of the pedestrian death crisis in this country.

But finding a solution as the deaths of so many Americans on and along our roads has continued to rise — 6,283 men, women and children in 2018 alone, according to federal statistics — has become more urgent. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration even designated October as the first national Pedestrian Safety Month, an acknowledgment of the dangers faced by vulnerable road users. A 2018 Detroit Free Press/USA Today investigation highlighted the role the increase in large vehicles, such as SUVs, has played in the rising number of deaths.

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