Big car brand is rolling out turquoise headlights to warn about little-known danger
A WELL-KNOWN car manufacturer is rolling out turquoise headlights on auto-driving cars to warn of a little-known danger.
Mercedes-Benz will use the exterior lights to show that the motor is driving itself in the US.
California and Nevada have approved the level-three automated driving technology on public roads.
The technology, named Drive Pilot, will allow the Mercedes S-Class and Mercedes EQS to drive autonomously at speeds not exceeding 40mph.
Mercedes chose the colour turquoise for two main reasons – its visibility and the fact that the colour isn’t used by existing vehicle lighting, traffic lights, or emergency lighting.
Drive Pilot will guide the vehicle in its lane, and will perform maneuvers according to traffic and road signs it approaches.
This will allow the driver to surrender control of the wheel and perform other tasks, unless driving through poor weather conditions.
If the driver is unable to take the reins, the motor will come to a standstill, activate its hazard warning lights and unlock its doors.
In California, the lights have initially been approved for a two-year test.
In Nevada, they will become legal for production cars from 2026.
Mercedes chief technology officer Markus Schäfer said: “With the development of automated-driving marker lights, Mercedes-Benz is once again setting new industry standards.
“We’re the first auto maker in the world to receive such approvals in the US, specifically in California and Nevada.
“The more automated driving vehicles populate the road, the more important communication and interaction between the vehicle and the environment become.”
This comes after one auto-driving car has tackled the chaotic streets of London – leaving its famous passenger open-mouthed.
The Jaguar I-Pace is fitted with self-driving technology developed by UK firm Wayve, which allows it to navigate traffic without being told how to act.
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, for many years the world’s richest man, rode shotgun as a passenger in the self-driving vehicle – which took him to pick up some fish and chips.
In the UK, self-driving vehicles will be given the green light on Britain’s roads under new laws.
Ministers want to unlock a transport revolution to help create 38,000 skilled jobs and worth up to £42 billion to the UK economy by 2035.
The driverless motors will help make the roads safer as 88 per cent of accidents involve human error, the government says.
The move could mean buses and grocery deliveries will be operating autonomously by the middle of the next decade.
Brits will be able to get to work and school more easily which will hope to boost productivity.
Laws will be updated to ensure self-driving benefits can be fulfilled with the Automated Vehicles Bill being brought in as part of the King’s Speech.
It will make sure that the only the driver, being the vehicle or person, is accountable.
