US-based automaker Ford has introduced new Return to Park technology on the 2017 Ford Fusion that uses data from the car’s network of sensors, in a bid to detect conditions that indicate a customer’s intent to exit the vehicle.

With the smart technology in place, drivers will have extra peace of mind that their 2017 Fusion will select park, as intended, even if they forget to turn the dial to P, or in case they leave the car in another gear when parking.

Ford engineers identified an opportunity to address vehicle rollaways by designing smart software to assist the driver and cut the potential for accidents under certain conditions, while developing the new 2017 Fusion.

Return to Park technology has been designed to automatically shift the car into park when the vehicle is turned off, or when the driver’s door opens with safety belt unlatched and the vehicle stationary.

Ford global e-shift systems technical expert Mark Zyskowski said: “When we decided to go with the new rotary shifter for the 2017 Ford Fusion, the team sat together in a room to see what additional customer benefit we could bring to the table.

"We thought about what we could add without getting in the way of normal day-to-day scenarios, and all agreed a feature to help confirm park is selected when exiting the vehicle seemed really worthwhile."

“We thought about what we could add without getting in the way of normal day-to-day scenarios, and all agreed a feature to help confirm park is selected when exiting the vehicle seemed really worthwhile.”

The new feature has the capability to detect when a driver has turned the car off while moving, and will first shift into neutral until it slows prior to shifting into park automatically.

Based on a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study published in August this year, it was found that 360 people were killed in accidents involving unattended vehicles with no driver control between 2012 and 2014.

Image: 2017 Ford Fusion Sport Rotary Gear Shift Dial. Photo: courtesy of The Ford Motor Company.