Skoda is trialling an intelligent ‘smart grille’ designed to keep pedestrians safe when they’re crossing the road.
The issue of pedestrian safety is a big one here in the UK, with the number of casualties on the rise in recent years.
Recent Department for Transport stats showed 6,161 how pedestrians were either killed or seriously injured in a twelve month period running to June 2022 - a 30 per cent increase on the previous year.
But now Skoda has come up with a potential solution - a digital front grille that tells pedestrians when it’s safe, or unsafe, to step out onto the highway.
It’s seen here fitted to Skoda’s all-electric Enyaq iV, and it’s part of an ‘urban mobility project’ being tested by the Czech firm.
The digital grille can display a number of different symbols, including green arrows and a green figure, or a warning triangle and red triangle with cross.
There’s even a symbol for when a car is unable to stop and looks likely to over-shoot a pedestrian crossing.
A Skoda spokesperson explains:
“When the car approaches a pedestrian crossing, it can warn those waiting to cross in advance that it has spotted them. It then stops and displays green arrows, for example, to tell them it’s safe to cross. Once they have crossed, and the car is about to set off, it can display a different signal to warn pedestrians that the car is moving. In more extreme examples, a car approaching the crossing that is unable to stop can send out a clear signal to pedestrians not to cross.”
Skoda says the scheme is focused on boosting road safety for children, senior citizens and people with disabilities.
The trial has also seen the deployment of a ‘robotic rover’, called IPA2X, which has been developed by the Institute of Informatics, Robotics and Cybernetics at the Czech Technical University in Prague (CIIRC), the Technical University of Munich, and Skoda’s own specialists.
The IPA2X is essentially a smart assistant that acts like a mobile traffic light and stands in the middle of a pedestrian crossing when there are people waiting to cross.
It’s also worth remembering important changes to the Highway Code which came into effect in 2022 and affect all road users.
The Code advises that pedestrians have priority at zebra crossings and that motorists should also now give way to pedestrians crossing, or waiting to cross a road they are driving into or out of.
Meanwhile the Skoda Enyaq iV continues to be a brilliant electric lease vehicle. It’s available as either a coupe or a traditional SUV. And you can lease a Skoda Enyaq iV with Select Car Leasing from £456 per month*.
*Prices include VAT. Credit is Subject to Status, Ts and Cs and Arrangement Fees apply. Excess mileage may apply. Stock levels and prices correct as of 13/04/23.
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