Future Fords will use tech to avoid collisions

Ford reported a sharp drop in October sales in the U.S. Unit sales declined 12% as passenger car sales slumped. Ford postponed its release on Tuesday due to fire delays at its headquarters in Michigan. Ford is working on a new technology that uses an array of sensors that monitors activity going on behind a car that is backing up and stops it if the driver doesn't notice a pedestrian or another car. SAN FRANCISCO -- Ford Motor is working on a suite of new driver-assist safety features for its production cars that stop short of offering full autonomy. Among the technologies being developed at the automaker's Research and Innovation Center in Aachen, Germany, include camera- and laser-enabled systems that can take over the steering wheel in an emergency to avoid high-speed collisions, as well as mapping-triggered dash alerts that warn drivers they're traveling down a one-way road.