Smartphones May Help Pedestrians Dodge Cars

Automakers are working on technology that could cut down on the number of pedestrians hit by distracted drivers—or on the number of distracted pedestrians who walk in front of cars. It's a warning system that uses GPS systems on smartphones and something called dedicated short range communications, reports Wired. The upshot is that when a pedestrian is in danger of crossing a car's path, the walker gets a smartphone alert and the driver gets a dashboard alert. Honda is among the companies working on it with the University of Michigan—along with one for motorcycles—though real-world use is still probably years away. (More pedestrian stories.)