Automated safety systems found to prevent car crashes

Safety systems that prevent cars from drifting into another lane are beginning to live up to their potential, according to new research.

Two new studies have found that vehicles with automated monitoring systems have lower crash rates than vehicles without the systems.

The findings suggest that if every car on the road was fitted with autonomous safety systems, about 130,000 crashes a year could be prevented.

 

Safety systems that prevent cars from drifting into another lane are beginning to live up to their potential, according to new research

THE BENEFITS OF AUTOMATED SYSTEMS 

In the first study, the researchers looked at how lane departure warning systems affect crash rates.

Their findings suggest that lane departure warning lowers rates of single-vehicle, sideswipe and head-on crashes by 11 per cent and lowers the rates of injury crashes of the same types by 21 per cent.

That means that if all passenger vehicles were equipped with lane departure warning, nearly 85,000 police-reported crashes could be prevented each year.

In the second study, the researchers focused on automated systems that examine the blind spot.

The analysis revealed that blind spot detection lowers the rate of all lane-change crashes by 14 per cent, and the rate of lane-change crashes with injuries by 23 per cent.

If every passenger vehicle on the road were equipped with blind spot detection as effective as the systems we studied, about 50,000 police-reported crashes a year could be prevented.

Researchers from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety evaluated different crash avoidance featues by looking at data from police-reported crashes.

Police reports include information on the circumstances of a crash, making it possible to look specifically at the types of crashes that particular technologies are designed to address, rather than just looking at crash rates generally.

In the first study, the researchers looked at how lane departure warning systems affect crash rates.

Their findings suggest that lane departure warning lowers rates of single-vehicle, sideswipe and head-on crashes by 11 per cent and lowers the rates of injury crashes of the same types by 21 per cent.

That means that if all passenger vehicles had been equipped with lane departure warning, nearly 85,000 police-reported crashes and more than 55,000 injuries could be prevented each year.

Dr Jessica Cicchino, who led the study, said: ‘This is the first evidence that lane departure warning is working to prevent crashes of passenger vehicles on US roads.

‘Given the large number of fatal crashes that involve unintentional lane departures, technology aimed at preventing them has the potential to save a lot of lives.’

The researchers looked at how lane departure warning systems affect crash rates, and found that if all passenger vehicles were equipped with lane departure warning, nearly 85,000 police-reported crashes could be prevented each year

The researchers looked at how lane departure warning systems affect crash rates, and found that if all passenger vehicles were equipped with lane departure warning, nearly 85,000 police-reported crashes could be prevented each year

In the second study, the researchers focused on automated systems that examine the blind spot, and alert drivers if another vehicle is there.

The analysis revealed that blind spot detection lowers the rate of all lane-change crashes by 14 per cent, and the rate of lane-change crashes with injuries by 23 per cent.

Dr Cicchino added: ‘Blind spot detection systems work by providing additional information to the driver.

The findings suggest that lane departure warning lowers rates of single-vehicle, sideswipe and head-on crashes by 11 per cent and lowers the rates of injury crashes of the same types by 21 per cent

The findings suggest that lane departure warning lowers rates of single-vehicle, sideswipe and head-on crashes by 11 per cent and lowers the rates of injury crashes of the same types by 21 per cent

In the second study, the researchers focused on automated systems that examine the blind spot. The analysis revealed that blind spot detection lowers the rate of all lane-change crashes by 14 per cent, and the rate of lane-change crashes with injuries by 23 per cent

In the second study, the researchers focused on automated systems that examine the blind spot. The analysis revealed that blind spot detection lowers the rate of all lane-change crashes by 14 per cent, and the rate of lane-change crashes with injuries by 23 per cent

‘It’s still up to the driver to pay attention to that information and use it to make decisions.

‘That said, if every passenger vehicle on the road were equipped with blind spot detection as effective as the systems we studied, about 50,000 police-reported crashes a year could be prevented.’

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk