Nissan has announced that its new safety system targeting pedal misapplication will debut in the Elgrand MPV by the end of the year. The ‘Emergency assist for pedal misapplication (with Carpark Detection Function)’ is aimed at reducing acceleration accidents in parking lots and other spaces where a car could collide with walls if a driver accidentally depresses the accelerator instead of the brake pedal.
Plans for the new technology were announced a year ago, but details of its commercial launch have not been released until now.
Using the four cameras of the Around View Monitor and ultrasonic sonar, the system detects if the car is currently in a parking space or not, and if there are obstacles such as walls in the direction the vehicle is travelling. The function automatically controls acceleration if necessary and applies the brakes before a collision can occur.
According to Nissan, more than 10,000 people are killed each year in Japan because of pedal misapplication. Toyota is still struggling to emerge from the shadow caused by its massive recall debacle of 2009 regarding sudden unintended acceleration.
