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Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331.sPubDate = "3/28/2008 11:54:49 PM GMT";
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Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331.appHeader = "<FONT SIZE=4><b>Driven to distraction<br><b></FONT><br>";
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Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331[i++] = new Array("","Introduction","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080327/080327-Traffic-intro-hmed.hmedium.jpg","","Nav N Go's GPS simulated cities", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Courtesy of Nav N Go", "240", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331[i-1].body = "<FONT SIZE=3 color=#CC0000><b>Introduction</b></FONT><p>Travel aid or distraction? A proliferation of new technology, such as Nav N Go&#146;s 3-D GPS software for drivers navigating cities like Chicago, above, has traffic safety experts concerned about unintended side effects.<br><P ALIGN=RIGHT><i>&#8212; Bryn Nelson</i>";

Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331[i++] = new Array("","Realistic landmarks","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080327/080327-Traffic-1-hmed.hmedium.jpg","","Nav N Go's iGO 8 system", "", "", "", "", "", "", "Courtesy of Nav N Go", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331[i-1].body = "<FONT SIZE=3 color=#CC0000><b>Realistic landmarks</b></FONT><p>Nav N Go&#146;s iGO 8 system, which debuts in the U.S. this year, provides realistic landmarks to help drivers navigate. The company says its system cuts down on distractions by making buildings transparent as a driver approaches them (as in this simulated view of San Francisco), but experts say the safety of new technology like this will ultimately depend on how drivers adapt to it.";

Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331[i++] = new Array("","Reducing congestion","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080327/080327-traffic-light-brill.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Maurizio Gambarini", "EPA", "273", "196", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331[i-1].body = "<FONT SIZE=3 color=#CC0000><b>Reducing congestion</b></FONT><p>Self-organizing traffic lights, under development in Switzerland, could reduce traffic flow by 95 percent in some congested cities. But will drivers wait patiently while other lanes get two green lights in a row? If not, even the system&#146;s designers concede it may not work.";

Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331[i++] = new Array("","Improving safety","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080327/080327-SUV-flipped-brill.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "Robert King", "Getty Images file", "255", "423", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331[i-1].body = "<FONT SIZE=3 color=#CC0000><b>Improving safety</b></FONT><p>Among the recent technologies widely credited with improving safety, experts have pointed to electronic stability control. The increasingly popular feature adjusts engine and braking power in a car that has suddenly swerved or decelerated, helping to prevent it from flipping over. Even with a potential to reduce the risk of fatal crashes by 43 percent, however, the system isn&#146;t foolproof.";

Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331[i++] = new Array("","Good vibrations","","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photo_StoryLevel/080327/080331_Traffic-4b-hmed.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "U.S. DOT", "273", "393", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
Tech_Frontiers_Traffic_080331[i-1].body = "<FONT SIZE=3 color=#CC0000><b>Good vibrations</b></FONT><p>Rumble strips have long proven their effectiveness in preventing sleepy drivers from drifting out of their lanes. Engineers in some countries have taken the concept one step further by precisely cutting and spacing grooves to create melodies &#8212; optimized for the speed limit &#8212; when car tires pass over them. The concept is catching on in Japan and South Korea, but whether these Melody Roads and Singing Highways will similarly keep drivers alert and safe remains to be seen.";

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