Standardizing Automatic Emergency Braking Systems

When shopping for a new car, many different factors influence your final decision. Aside from gas mileage and maintenance, consider test-driving vehicles that offer automatic emergency braking (AEB) and forward collision warning (FCW) systems. When in place, AEB and FCW systems can protect you from potential accidents. These add-ons are becoming more available thanks to a voluntary agreement signed by 20 car manufacturers to make AEB systems standard on most of their models by September 2022. However, not all manufacturers are on board with this idea. In fact, certain car companies seem to be waiting until the last minute to include AEB systems in their latest models.

What Does AEB Do?

AEB can either start to slow a vehicle’s speed or completely stop the car’s forward motion. On vehicles that do not offer AEB and FCW systems, they are treated as upgrades costing over $1,000. However, depending upon the manufacturer, AEB and FCW go by different names, such as AcuraWatch Plus, pre-sense front, pre-collision assist, and intelligent brake assist, as well as many others. Currently, some insurance providers offer premium reductions for late-model vehicles with AEB and FCW systems.

AEB and FCW Systems by the Numbers

According to data reported by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a combination of AEB and FCW stops a driver from rear-ending another vehicle or object 39 percent of the time. Although FCW systems alone put an alert in place, it loses its effectiveness without AEB as a back-up. During one AAA trial, researchers showed that AEB works especially well when it can stop the vehicle on behalf of the human operator, rather than slow the vehicle down. Data shows that around 1.7 million rear-end accidents happen each year, leading to hundreds of thousands of reported driver, passenger, and pedestrian injuries, and about 2,000 fatalities. Cutting the number of rear-end car accidents and resulting injuries would be an enormous improvement.

Cherry Hill Car Accident Lawyers at DiTomaso Law Fight for Victims Injured in Rear-End Collisions

If you or someone you know was involved in a car accident, the Cherry Hill car accident lawyers at DiTomaso Law are ready to work on your behalf so you can receive a fair settlement for your injuries and damages. Call us today at 856-414-0010 or contact us online for a free consultation. Located in Philadelphia and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, we serve clients throughout southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey, including Mt. Holly and Camden County.