COMPANY car drivers will soon have road signs and pedestrians pointed out to them by their vehicles as new safety systems developed by DaimlerChrysler reach the market.

Recognition systems for traffic signs have passed the test phase in experimental vehicles.

Under normal visibility conditions, the systems recognise relevant objects such as traffic lights and signs, crossings, direction arrows on lanes and road markings, and projects these onto a windscreen display panel.

In future the manufacturer believes it will be able to send this information directly to a car's brakes, steering and cruise control systems, in a form of auto-pilot. The biggest challenge for the system is ensuring pedestrians are reliably recognised in a city environment.