Lexus LS debuts tech that could save young lives

Driveway tragedies could be avoided by clever new technology but there’s just one catch.

It’s the technology that could put an end to driveway tragedies.

Lexus’s new limousine has a rear view camera that scans behind a reversing car and slams on the brakes if it picks up a pedestrian in the car’s path.

Other car makers, including Mazda, have a similar system but it works via sensors rather than using a camera. Lexus claims its technology is a world first.

It says a camera is more effective at identifying people because sensors sometimes have trouble picking up different fabrics, including wool.

Statistics show that every year, seven children are killed and 60 seriously injured in driveway accidents.

A young boy rides his bike behind a car. Picture: Paul Broben.

The Lexus LS will debut the technology in Australia towards the end of next year.

Aside from the braking technology the new Lexus LS will have a camera in place of the rear vision mirror, providing a better view of the road than a conventional mirror.

It will also debut technology that can detect pedestrians and cyclists at night, flash up a warning on the windscreen and take evasive action if it anticipates a collision.

Hi-tech: The Lexus LS. Pic: Supplied.

Other hi-tech gadgets on the limousine include:

-Adaptive cruise control, which keeps a safe distance between you and the car in front using sensors.

-Lane keeping assistance, which can tell when your car is veering out of its lane and steer you back on track. The tech can also detect an approaching corner and slow down if it thinks you are going too fast.

-Cross traffic alert, which scans an intersection when you’re pulling out from a street or driveway and alerts you to potential crashes.

-Speed sign recognition that flashes up the local speed limit on the windscreen.

-Emergency contact of ambulance when the car detects it has been in an accident

Unfortunately this lifesaving tech comes at a price; the LS will cost more than $200,000 when it launches in Australia early next year.

Mazda’s rear cross traffic alert is available on cars costing less than $30,000, though, and safety tech that used to eventually “trickle down” to cheaper cars from their luxury cousins is arriving much sooner.

We tested the LS’s technology on roads around Tokyo and found that autonomous cars still have many hurdles to jump before their drivers can dare take their hands off the wheel and their eyes off the road.

The lane keeping tech failed to pick up some markers on the road, while the speed recognition showed a 60km/h limit when the limit was actually 40km/h.