Bosch Technology Warns of Wrong-Way Drivers

LAS VEGAS – Bosch has developed a cloud-based wrong-way driver warning that alerts drivers to vehicles that are headed toward them. Volkswagen Group’s Skoda brand is the first to implement it.

Wrong-way driving incidents, though relatively rare, are notably severe due to the high likelihood of head-on collisions. Between 2010 and 2018, the U.S. recorded 2,921 fatal wrong-way crashes resulting in 3,885 deaths – averaging approximately 430 fatalities annually, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.

A significant factor in these incidents is alcohol impairment. Among drivers involved in fatal wrong-way crashes on divided highways during this period, 60.1% of the wrong-way drivers had blood alcohol concentrations of 0.08% or more, compared with 11.0% for the right-way drivers.

In Germany, where Bosch is headquartered, some 2,000 such warnings are broadcast on German radio alone each year. All too often, these incidents lead to critical situations – including serious accidents, says Bosch.

How does the system work? If a vehicle approaches a highway entrance ramp or exit ramp, the system automatically sends the anonymized data of the current movement to the cloud. The function compares the vehicle’s actual movements with the permitted direction of travel. Information about this is stored in a web-based database. If the two sets of information clash, the wrong-way driver automatically receives a warning. At the same time, the cloud immediately transmits a warning to all networked road users within the danger area. When leaving the highway entrance ramp the communication with the cloud is interrupted again.

The system is an add-on to an OEM’s existing vehicle architecture and is mostly just a sensor and software application. Bosch North America President Paul Thomas says the cost is negligible.Based on the automotive industry trend of increasingly using the Android Automotive operating system, Bosch is offering the service for this environment. But if vehicle owners want the system, and it is not installed as original equipment or offered as an over-the-air update, consumers can use this feature in numerous smartphone applications offered by Bosch’s partners. Vehicle owners simply download one of the partner apps, activate the feature and use the Bosch service free of charge.

Tackling the problem of wrong-way drivers isn’t new. Ford and Continental have developed systems to alert motorists when a vehicle enters a limited-access highway from the wrong direction.