One of the dreaded tasks while driving is the infamous parallel parking. Drivers have to pass the task to get their licenses and it seems to be the most feared chore for inexperienced drivers. What if the driver did not have to parallel park at all, but rather control only the foot brake pedal? Toyota has come out with technology where the car will virtually park itself.
While this technology was largely introduced by Lexus, a Toyota made company, Toyota is starting to put this option I some of their less expensive vehicles. One in particular that everyone is familiar with is the Toyota Prius. Not only does this hybrid get good gas mileage, it could possibly park itself.
The way the parking assist works is when the driver pulls next to a spot he or she wants to park in and puts the car into reverse, a rear bumper camera turns on and displays all that is behind the car. The driver then pushes a button on the dash and the car calculates how much it needs to turn in order to fit in the parking space. A green area appears on the screen telling the driver where the vehicle will end up and a yellow path describes how the car will get there. Then it is just a matter of controlling the car with the brake.
There are some flaws in this feature though. It does not tell you if the spot the driver is trying to back into is too small for the car to fit. This could lead to some major problems and may actually make parallel parking more of a pain if the driver can only rely on the computer to park. The only thing that scares me is if my car is the one sitting behind where this computer savvy vehicle is trying to park.
2 comments:
Wow this is pretty interesting! I do have to agree. Parallel parking can be a nightmare. I for one have have not a lot of room to talk since I am quilty for backing into a parked car while trying to park. Yikes! I think this invention could be really good if it proven to be effective! I know that at my driving school that I took drivers ed at , we are required to spend and hour on just parallel parking. I don't known how but I got the instructor who made me park once and then drive to Burger King the rest of the time. Even worse, for my actual driving test I didn't even have to parallel park. I don't know if this is a skill the expect us to know or have down, but I guarentee not everyone knows how. Scary. I think bottom line everyone needs to practice their parking and maybe one day this amazing and life saving invention can be used in any car!
Wow this is a very interesting post! How amazing would it be to have this invention in your car! I for one would love it. This is coming from someone who hit a parked car while trying to back into a spot.. YIKES! I think parallel parking is a skill that is taken way to lightly. In my drivers ed class we were required to have a day just to focus on parallel parking. My instructor must have been starving that day because he made me parallel park once and then drive him through the Burger King drive through. Even worse on my actual driving test to get my licesnse I didn't even have to parallel park. I believe people need to practice more on this skill and other parking skills! Maybe one day this amazing invention can be installed in all our cars and we will have less fender benders!!
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