When driving on highways, motorists can feel threatened by vehicles that are quickly approaching them from behind, which can lead to rear-end collisions.

These types of crashes can also occur due to negligence or drowsiness of the driver in the vehicle behind. 

Today, however, these incidents can be mitigated due to defensive driving technology that predicts the movements of vehicles behind. Active control technology, which uses sensors to detect approaching vehicles from behind and maneuver the vehicle out of danger, is expected to hit the market soon.

Hyundai Mobis announced in June, that it has developed rear safety control technology that warns drivers and automatically maintains a safe distance when a rear vehicle approaches too closely. This technology integrates sensors such as rear-side radars and front cameras with driving control technology.

This technology operates when the driver uses the Smart Cruise Control (SCC) function on the highway. If the vehicle detects that a rear vehicle is driving at an extremely close distance of approximately 10 metres or less, it first emits a “beep” sound or displays a visual warning on the cluster. If the situation persists after a certain amount of time, the vehicle will automatically increase its speed to maintain a safe distance. 

During this time, the rear side radars, which are mounted on both sides of the rear bumper detect the movement of the vehicle behind. Meanwhile, the front camera recognizes the lane and the vehicle ahead on the driving path to assist in safe acceleration.

Some global automakers are already applying safety technology to prevent rear-end collisions in mass production. 

When a rear-end collision is imminent, the system issues a warning and adjusts the seatbelt tension to prepare for the impact. However, these functions are not yet advanced enough for the vehicle to control itself autonomously. 

Hyundai Mobis has said it has now enhanced its technology to enable the vehicles to independently adjust the distance between cars and trucks in front and behind to avoid dangerous situations.

Hyundai Mobis plans to further expand the scope of autonomous control for defensive driving against vehicles that are following behind. Currently, the company is developing a lane-changing function to escape dangerous situations, in addition to an acceleration control function that allows the vehicle to speed up on its own. “We will actively protect the safety of mobility users by providing solutions that can intelligently handle not only front-end safety, but also dangerous situations caused by rear vehicles while driving,” said Jung Soo-kyung, Executive Vice President and head of the automotive electronics business unit at Hyundai Mobis.