Distracted cell phone users may soon get an extra layer of safety courtesy of Nissan. The Japanese car manufacturer is currently testing an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) that promises to warn drivers of nearby pedestrians using GPS receivers in the car and participating cell phones.
In a real-world situation, the location of both the cell phone and the car would be transmitted to the ITS which would then determine where the errant walker is in relation to the car, including how fast they are moving and what direction they are traveling. The driver would then be alerted either by an audible warning or a display on the dashboard if an accident seemed imminent. Nissan is developing the ITS in collaboration with Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo.