Mobileye outfits 4,500 for-hire cars in NYC with collision avoidance tech

Mobileye’s long-game is focused on autonomous driving, but some of the tech that feeds into that can have an impact now, including advanced collision avoidance systems. The company announced on Friday that it has completed the installation of accident prevention tech across 4,500 for-hire vehicles used by drivers for services including Uber and Lyft in New York City, as part of a partnership with transportation insurance provider Atlas Financial Holdings.

The system includes a “high resolution vision sensor,” which, combined with onboard computing, will analyze the road for potential dangers in real time, offering alerts to drivers that are designed to help them avoid accidents before they happen. It’s a mixed bag for drivers, however, because it’s also bringing in Pointer Telocation tech that allows fleet and vehicle owners to keep a closer watch on driver behavior in instances where accidents do occur.

Still, that’s always going to be the flip side of connected vehicles that seek to offer more in the way of driver assistance and warning features: Fewer excuses. It’ll be interesting to see what kind of results arise from the installation of this tech in terms of the number of accidents that involve for-hire vehicles in, say, a year’s time.