Anyone who drives in Australia knows that driving behind a large semi-trailer truck, especially on a one-lane country road, means that you are probably going to be stuck behind it for quite a while.
Why? Because it is super fucking dangerous to overtake it. You can’t see past the truck to see if there’s a vehicle coming in the opposite direction, so you are gambling with your own life, your passengers lives, and the lives of the people in the car that’s potentially headed straight for you.
Is it worth the risk? NOPE.
Australia’s death road toll in 2014 was 1155 people, and head-on collisions that occur due to the frustration of being stuck behind a larger, slower vehicle are common.
Argentina’s rate of road deaths is extremely high, and similarly to Australia’s rural areas, it also has many one lane roads. So Samsung have decided to test a new technology on their roads – the ‘transparent truck’.
It isn’t actually see-through. There’s a wireless camera on the front of the truck, which is connected to four exterior monitors on the back of the truck. So, cars behind are able to see what the truck can see.
So in the case of overtaking, or even sudden braking, this could definitely make a drastic difference in loss of life on roads.
According to Samsung,
“The next step is to perform the corresponding tests in order to comply with the existing national protocols and obtain the necessary permits and approvals. For this, Samsung is working together with safe driving NGOs and the government.”
While we’re all crossing our fingers and hoping Samsung bring this technology to us ASAP, watch the transparent truck in action:
via Samsung
