DETROIT - Cadillac, an established innovator in safety technologies, is now pursuing still-evolving technologies that include in-vehicle Doppler radar to spot obstructions or traffic jams ahead. 

John Capp, director for global active safety at Cadillac, said that future efforts will also include autonomous vehicles that can communicate with each other, traffic signals and buildings. 

"We see things moving toward a point in the future where perhaps vehicles won't crash," said Capp. "We work on developing advanced safety technologies for Cadillac that alert drivers to potential dangers around them."

Capp and his team of engineers, inventors and futurists have developed life-saving active safety technologies that are already in place on the 2010 Cadillac STS Platinum, including:

• Lane departure warning -- a camera-based lane detection system that warns drivers when they leave their lane without signaling. The camera, mounted near the inside rearview mirror, identifies traffic lane markings and provides audible alerts

• Blind spot alert -- twin radar beacons that detect an object in a vehicle's blind zone and provide a visual warning in the outside side mirror

• Adaptive cruise control -- sensors detect objects in a vehicle's path and slow the vehicle down to avoid a collision.

"We're evolving those technologies to develop the capability where vehicles will be able to avoid crashes," Capp said.