Automatic Emergency Braking Accident Reduction
New cars sold in Louisiana may come with modern safety features such as automatic emergency braking systems, or AEB. A study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that AEB greatly reduces the rate of accidents involving injuries.
The study looked at 10 models of General Motors vehicles from the 2013-2015 model years. Researchers examined police reports to determine the frequency of accidents involving vehicles with automatic emergency braking systems.
There are two types of crash avoidance systems in GM vehicles: One crash system only alerts drivers of an impending crash while another system applies brakes to reduce the impact or avoid the crash. Vehicles with both systems installed were involved in 43 percent fewer rear-end car accidents. The reduction of rear-end crashes involving injuries was 64 percent, which suggests that AEB system reduces injuries even in situations where a crash cannot be avoided with braking.
In 2016, about one third of all accidents were rear-end car crashes. There were about 2.4 million rear-end car accidents reported to police during that year.
Even though new safety features are making new vehicles safer, crashes still frequently occur. When a rear-end car accident occurs, it may be the fault of a driver who was following too closely, not paying attention to the road or driving too fast for conditions. If the vehicle in front stopped so suddenly that the accident was unavoidable for the driver behind them, the driver of the car in front may be held liable.
New safety features may change the way that personal injury lawsuits work. If safety systems fail, vehicle manufacturers may be held liable in some cases. Many manufacturers attempt to avoid liability by providing warnings to drivers that crash-avoidance technology is no substitute for careful driving. An attorney experienced in personal injury may be able to assist car accident victims recover damages for their injuries and property damage.
