Safety Tech Faces Three-Year Test

December 2, 1999 9:57 AM, EST

Safety technologies will be tested on the road in the next three years, with the federal government kicking in $12.7 million to go along with $7.7 million in private money to fund four truck safety pilot projects.

The government hopes the tests will show that high-tech systems for collision warning, rollover warning, lane guidance and electronic braking offer a substantial edge in safety. Several truck manufacturers are poised to put the equipment on new vehicles even before the final outcomes of these evaluations are known.

The programs, which involve academic, private and government institutions, are part of the Department of Transportation-sponsored Intelligent Vehicle Initiative.

“Partnering with the private sector increases the likelihood that new technologies will be adopted,” said Susan Slye, transportation specialist with the joint intelligent transportation system program office in Washington, D.C.

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