In recent years, Samsung has begin to develop new technology. From household appliances, to cell phones, all the way down to the auto industry. Yep, you heard that right— Samsung has found a way into the automotive sphere, by way of commercial vehicles. Tractor trailer, to be exact. The company decided to try it’s hand at an advanced camera technology for commercial trucks. However, it might not be exactly what you think. At first glance, you might think that this technology is specifically to help truck drivers. However, it provides more benefit to drivers around that truck driver. They’re calling it the ‘safety truck’, and it aims to be just that…
Samsung Safety Truck: Providing Safer Roadways for Drivers or Unnecessary Distraction?
Let me pain you a picture of exactly how it works… Every Samsung safety truck would have a camera attached to the front of the truck. That feed would then go straight to a ‘video wall’ on the backside of the truck. In doing so, drivers would become more aware of what’s happening in front of the truck. Therefore, they would have more freedom to pass trucks, stay alert to non-visible changes, and anything else that might find it’s way into the road.
Samsung has been testing prototypes in Argentina, where the idea primarily found it’s start and motive. From there, they will test the data collected and decide what benefit’s, if any, the truck provides to other drivers. On one hand, it could help drivers to more safely pass by the truck, or decide not to. However, while this camera benefits other drivers— it does not do much more for the truck driver. Therefore, while you can better amount for them, they cannot do the same for you.
You can pass a truck more easily… but, what real benefit does this provide?
In many places, passing by a truck is not always legal. However, in European countries, their roadways operate a bit differently than ours. To keep it brief, most people will merge into an oncoming traffic lane to pass another vehicle. While to us, it’s seen almost as an insult or a challenge— to them, it’s nothing more than a routine maneuver. So, this technology might be more well-suited to that market if being able to pass its the main objective.
However, if you look at the technology as more of a way to keep drivers informed, rather than allow them to make risky moves, it can be quite beneficial. If you follow at a safe distance, you have a decent grasp on what’s happening around a large vehicle. Visibility is not as strong, sure. But, it’s not entirely gone. So, if you drive safely, observantly, and at a good following distance— you most likely won’t need those cameras anyways. However, they could keep drivers more informed.
But, is it more distracting than beneficial?
As we’ve said, there can be plenty of upsides to this technology. However, how necessary is it really? For smart and safe drivers, it would provide more information than assistance. And when it comes to the truck drivers, they receive little from this upgrade. At any rate, having a giant screen on the back of a truck, on the roadway, that continues to change— seems quite dangerous. People might find themselves focusing in more on the big screen than on the actual vehicles around them. In turn, more crashing might occur. Technological advancements can be good, bad, or a little bit of both. When it comes to this technology? The jury is still out.