Can Automatic Emergency Braking Systems Reduce Accidents?

Victims of accidents and their families are likely to suffer extreme emotional and physical trauma after a collision. Often, they are faced with a plethora of unexpected expenses, like lost wages and medical bills. To help increase safety on the road, advocacy groups and government agencies alike closely monitor any technological solutions that can be utilized to make safer vehicles.

One way car safety can be improved is to consider installing automatic emergency braking systems, or AEBs. These systems include collision warnings and are being installed in nearly every new passenger vehicle by at least 20 car manufacturers across the globe. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, AEB is required to be in all new passenger vehicles by September 1, 2022.

Implementing automatic emergency braking systems helps reduce the number of accidents that occur by applying the brakes completely autonomously before the vehicle is in a collision. This type of technology is effective in preventing accidents between pedestrians and drivers. An AEB system will let a driver know when it is being implemented and will put on the brakes by use of a camera, radar, and lasers.

According to a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, motor vehicle crashes of cars with automatic emergency braking were 43% less than crashes of vehicles without AEBs, and they resulted in 64%  fewer injuries. In addition, over 40% of rear-end collisions with semi-trucks were prevented by automatic emergency brakes.

What Are Some Benefits of Automatic Emergency Braking?

The AEB and forward collision warning systems offer a number of benefits. As opposed to just relying on human reaction to prevent collisions, automatic braking systems allow technology to take control. A few of the potential benefits of this are:

• Automatic deceleration
• Visual and audio warnings for drivers
• Detection of collision danger and automatic braking.

Clearly, AEB systems reduce the risk of vehicle crashes and the injuries associated with them.

Potential Cons of Using Automatic Braking Systems

When it comes to using AEBs, the benefit here is trying to avoid car collisions at all costs. Despite this, there certainly are cons that drivers should keep in mind. One major con is the margin of error for these systems. If your system is alerted when no danger is present, it might slam the brakes on when it’s not necessary. This can cause the driver to panic, which can then increase the potential of causing a collision with someone driving behind them. This leads to even more potential for liability issues with accidents. Some of these systems have the ability to malfunction as well, causing them not to work when needed.

One other major concern is that AEBs could make drivers complacent, relying too heavily on their automatic braking system. It might seem that drivers don’t have to pay as close attention, potentially causing accidents if the system doesn’t work as it’s supposed to.

Many drivers prefer to be in complete control of their vehicle, which means that some people may choose to deactivate their AEB system. The technology is simply not fine-tuned enough to mitigate every single potential for a collision.

How Many Lives Has Automatic Braking Saved?

The National Transportation Safety Board research shows that lawyers for truck accidents recognize that automatic emergency braking systems could prevent 50% of front-to-rear crashes, 56% of front-to-rear collisions resulting in injuries, and 41% of front-to-rear collisions with large trucks.

The precise number of lives saved by automatic braking is unclear. Still, some experts agree that automatic braking systems, combined with forward collision warning, will reduce the incidences of some accidents and injuries that happen because of them.

Things You Should Do Immediately After An Accident

If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident, take these steps:

• Make a 911 call and request that the police and emergency medical personnel respond to the scene.
• Immediately ask to be seen by a doctor or medical professional on the scene or ask to be transported to a local emergency room in the event of an injury.
• Drivers should exchange information about their licenses and vehicles.
• If a police officer asks you questions, make sure you answer concisely, but do not discuss fault or blame with the other driver.
• Discover any witnesses and take note of their contact information if they are present.
• Take pictures of your injuries and the accident scene with your phone if you are able.
• If the other driver, the trucking company, or insurance company representatives offer you paperwork, do not sign it.
• You should contact an attorney immediately.

Our Houston Expert, Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law, Will Keep You Protected

Every year, over 1,700 people die and half a million are injured in rear-end collisions. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car crash, you may be entitled to financial compensation. It is especially true if someone else’s negligence caused the accident. A single poor decision can ruin everything. Another driver’s mistake can change your life in a matter of seconds. We’ve worked with many people who have suffered car accidents in Houston and just want their lives to be the same as they used to be.

Terry Bryant Accident & Injury Law is a personal injury law firm that helps people get their lives back on track after they’ve been injured. We know how hard it is to overcome challenges after an accident — we’ve seen how mental and physical trauma can affect the lives of ourselves, our colleagues and our clients. We want to help you recover so that you can move forward with your life. To set up a free case review, call our car accident attorneys at (713) 973-8888 or toll-free 1 (800) 444-5000.