Some new models are flashy and others are fuel efficient, and embedded technology is at the heart of all of them.The new Ford Escape has a radar-enabled adaptive cruise control to avoid collisions, with sensors on the front and side of the car.Electronic system can be accessed through the dashboard or a smartphone.Where I am from, in Michigan, if it is a cold morning, I can have it start up right before I am scheduled to leave to go to the airport or go to work.You can find your car or if one of your family members, a kid, borrowed the car, it will show you exactly where it is.Third-party products now in development, like this emergency warning system, help drivers who fail to hear an approaching siren.A near-miss with an ambulance inspired the product.It scared me enough that I started looking for a product that would alert me when they are coming.A sobriety detector is sold to companies with fleets of vehicles, such as buses.It senses alcohol in the skin.If I am drinking and I have levels above a preset limit, it immobilizes the vehicle, so you can not move the vehicle that you are driving.Drivers can control many of these systems over the Internet.One company founder says connected technology is changing our lives at home and on the highway.You can buy a washing machine, you can buy a microwave that has wifi and connects to a router.There are thermostats. There are lights.
