These newer features should make their way into more new cars at all price points in the coming years. In fact, the NHTSA has said all new cars must have rear-facing cameras by 2018.The problem, however, is that new car tech can be extremely expensive. Just as important, even the latest auto safety features do not know the driver. Wearable tech does. Wearable devices are loaded with sensors, placed on the body, and in constant contact with our smartphones and the cloud. This affords a new layer of safety and awareness not previously possible.There are millions of drivers in the US with diabetes that could benefit from a wearable bionic pancreas.
There are also millions of elderly drivers. Last month in San Francisco, where wearables are commonplace among the digerati, two different elderly drivers crashed their vehicles into buildings within two days of one another.A wearable device, alerting the driver—and his car—of an impending heart attack, might have prevented these incidents by enabling the car to safely stop. A wearable that alerts family members that their aging father has taken the car out, or has been driving longer than expected, might also prove useful. When it comes to the road, knowledge can be a true lifesaver.