PEKIN, Ill. – The fears of public speaking,
heights, and snakes are ubiquitous in the United States, but if you live in Orlando, Fla., it's likely something else ranks highest on your hierarchy of fears: low-visibility driving.
In Orlando, 69% of residents fear public speaking, 68%
heights, and 76% snakes. But compare those statistics to the amount of anxiety
engendered by low-visibility driving in the city: 82%
of Orlando residents fear low-visibility
driving more than anything else.
Despite this unusual juxtaposition of fears, the comparison
elucidates the stark truth of how common low-visibility driving is, and Ford
Motor Co. wants to change that. The company hopes introducing its
Ford Smart Mobility Tour to Orlando will encourage the city to eventually implement
safer transportation methods that allay driving related anxiety.
Ford Smart Mobility Tour is Ford’s strategic move into the
realm of connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience,
and big data. The company is also developing multimodal transportation that as
yet includes a routing app able to integrate with vehicles and electric bikes,
an industry Ford recently made a foray into.
Some of Ford’s major mobility innovations include multiple
driver-assist technologies like Blind Spot Information System and Pro Trailer
Backup Assist. The company is also developing semi-autonomous technologies such
as a lane-keeping aid and active park assist. These are systems capable of
mitigating negative driving habits, lack of awareness on the road, and low-visibility driving for cities like Orlando.
It's the right direction for Ford seeing as almost 7 in 10 Orlando residents say they're more
likely to purchase a vehicle that warns them of someone or something in their
vehicle’s blind spot, and almost 9 in 10 would be more relaxed driving such a
vehicle.
Already, 40% of 2015 Ford F-150 and SUV drivers in Orlando deliberately purchased models equipped with Ford’s Blind Spot Information System, according to Ford. Could it be an implication of what vehicles drivers are leaning towards as we move into the future?
Already, 40% of 2015 Ford F-150 and SUV drivers in Orlando deliberately purchased models equipped with Ford’s Blind Spot Information System, according to Ford. Could it be an implication of what vehicles drivers are leaning towards as we move into the future?
Ford’s study shows Orlando
residents fear low-visibility driving more than anything else, but
presumably the city isn’t alone. Urban population is thickening, and areas once considered sparsely populated are
following becoming denser, too. These environments, combined with an increase in drivers,
multiply the potential for low-visibility driving situations, which results in Orlando residents' primary fear.
At Velde Ford, we are committed to providing our customers with an unbeatable level of service and a great car buying experience. Feel free to visit our dealership, Velde Ford at 2200 North 8th Street, Pekin, IL 61554.
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