Smartphones could protect pedestrians

U.S. automaker General Motors says it is working on a system to detect smartphone-carrying pedestrians and bicyclists to alert drivers when they are nearby. The automaker said the WiFi-based technology could reduce traffic fatalities by alerting drivers with a visual or aural notification about approaching pedestrians or bicyclists, The Verge reported. In the system under consideration, cars would be actively looking for WiFi Direct smartphones -- and their owners -- and could signal an imminent collision by comparing the two signals up to 650 feet apart. The WiFi Direct standard allows the detection of nearby devices in about 1 second instead of the 7 or 8 seconds required by traditional wireless systems. The company has not said when the technology might be installed in cars. GM said it is also considering an app for Wifi Direct-enabled smartphones to help identify individuals as bike messengers, construction workers or other frequent road users.