GM Future Tech May Warn Drivers of Accidents Before They Happen
A team at General Motors patented a technology designed to let drivers know of accidents before they happen — or at least before the driver can see the potential collision — using reflective head-up displays.
GM and every other major automaker currently uses a collection of sensors, radar, cameras, lidar, and other technology to warn drivers of potentially imminent crashes. They’re better known as blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and other technologies.
Now, the company’s development team, specifically Kai-Han Chang, Joseph F. Szczerba, Thomas A. Seder, and Guy N. Kennerly, according to U.S. Patent Application Publication US 2026/0014932 A1, has created a “system and method of non-line-of-sight imminent crash warning using reflective head-up displays.” The technology is still in development and there is no timetable or commitment to it becoming publicly available.
The system uses sensors to detect objects moving toward a vehicle, but not able to be seen by the driver, and uses the data collected to determine if the trajectory of object and the driver’s vehicle will cross. If so, it uses the vehicle’s head-up display to warn the driver of the possibility of a looming collision, according to the patent publication.
The patent application was filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on July 10, 2024, while the patent publication was published Jan. 15, 2026, noted the GM Authority, a publication reporting about GM only.
According to the patent publication, the system relies on the same hardware currently built into many vehicles already produced. The warning could be relayed in a variety of formats, ranging from using the current format of head-up displays which range from about 3 inches by 5 inches to nearly twice that size, shown only to the driver, to much larger displays that could be seen by other passengers in the vehicle.
The system’s potential is maximized in places where the driver may have a difficult time seeing a lot of their environment, such as an intersection or around the curve. These are the situations where it’s most difficult for a driver to avoid a collision, which could give them an extra second or two of warning, and avoid a crash.
[Images: U.S. Patent Trade Office]
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Michael Strong has spent more than 25 years writing about the automotive industry. A Detroit-area native, he’s written about everything from local car shows to product reviews to financial news. Currently he writes and edits for a variety of national and local publications. He’s also a longtime member of the Automotive Press Association and the International Motor Press Association, and a graduate of Georgia Southern University. Hail Southern! Despite a love for ’70s land yachts and BMWs from the late ’80s and early ’90s, his personal vehicle is neither of those.
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Now I remember that interview.. it was some GM manager talking. He said something along this - soon, if you want to drive yourself, there will be designated areas for that. Otherwise you will be driven by an automated vehicle.
It predicts elections?