According to a study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, cars with self-braking technology reduce rear-end car crashes by 40 percent while also reducing the number of crashes with injuries. Cars with forward collision warning help to reduce the number of rear-end crashes by 23 percent. The study found that if all cars had an automated braking system, there would have been 700,000 fewer crashes in 2013. That translates to 13 percent of all crashes reported to police.
The study looked at crashes in 22 states between 2010 and 2014 involving Acura, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru and Volvo automobiles. Each of the vehicles in the study had optional front end collision technology. While auto braking and other front end collision technology is generally offered as optional equipment, it may soon become standard. The NHTSA and the IIHS have agreed in principle to make auto braking standard in all cars.
Researchers controlled for several factors including driver habits while analyzing the data. Crashes involving vehicles that were rear-ended but did not hit a vehicle in front of it were excluded because the technology would not have worked in those situations. It was also mentioned that a reduction in crashes could be attributed to adaptive cruise control as opposed to auto braking technology as it helps the car maintain a safe following distance at all times.
Those who are involved in a car crash may experience serious injuries that require expensive medical care and treatment. When it can be determined that the accident was caused by the negligence of another party, an injured victim may want to have legal assistance in pursuing compensation from the at-fault driver for these and other losses.
