Visteon Integrates Collision Warning Features on Research Fleet

University of Michigan and U.S. Department of Transportation launch field testing of passenger car safety system

VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, Mich., May 20, 2009 -- Visteon Corporation (Pink Sheets: VSTN) is a key participant in an automotive field test that monitors driver response to an integrated vehicle-based collision warning system.

For three years Visteon has been developing an Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety System (IVBSS), along with the prime contractor, the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), and other program partners, as part of a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation through the ITS Joint Program Office. This innovative system combines multiple features including forward collision warning, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, lane change/merge warning, and curve speed warning.

IVBSS provides drivers with a situational awareness of the vehicle's surroundings, and warns drivers when they are about to inadvertently leave the roadway, are in danger of colliding with another vehicle while attempting a lane change, or are at risk of colliding with the vehicle ahead. Visteon designed and developed the algorithms for the forward collision, blind spot detection, lane change/merge, and curve speed warning systems.

"The IVBSS program combines radar, vision, GPS and digital map technologies in a stand-alone system to address multiple collision threats," explained Brian Daugherty, Visteon's associate director, advanced driver awareness systems. "The system includes a unified driver-vehicle interface that arbitrates when several threats occur simultaneously."

Sixteen cars have been equipped and will be driven over the next 12 months by 108 randomly sampled, licensed drivers in Southeast Michigan, in place of their personal vehicles. Driver actions and response during system use will be recorded and extensive data will be collected on naturalistic use and the driving environment. Researchers will use this data to evaluate the potential safety benefits of integrating multiple collision warning systems. An estimated 272,000 miles of driving data are expected.