In recent years, increasing government safety standards for new vehicles have pushed automotive engineers to create a few new amazing, innovative, and potentially life-saving automobile safety systems designed to help prevent auto accidents. A new era of software, sensors, and crash avoidance systems work to assist drivers and help prevent car accidents and fatal traffic collisions before they can happen.
While other recent technological advances have dramatically increased vehicle occupants’ crash survivability, crash avoidance systems are part of a new generation of safety technology designed to reduce and prevent the occurrence of car crashes as a whole. Avoiding traffic accidents outright is by far the most effective means of increasing motorist safety and preventing auto collisions and catastrophic injuries altogether.
Types of Safety Technology Designed to Prevent Car Accidents
Newer, crash avoidance technologies vary in function and the particular types of collisions they help drivers to avoid. In some cases, these safety systems increase braking power or adjust steering inputs to make the driver’s response (or lack thereof) more efficient – with the goal of successfully stopping the vehicle sooner or steering completely away from danger. In certain circumstances, crash avoidance technologies might also engage the brakes or steer the vehicle away (using full automation) if the driver does not take appropriate evasive action to avoid an accident.
I. Blind Spot Detection: Blind spot detection scans the side (particularly the rear corners) of a moving automobile for other vehicles approaching in the blind spots. A visual alert or prompt can illuminate on or near either side-view mirror when a vehicle is detected in the blind spot. On some systems, an additional audible warning may activate if the driver signals to make a turn and there is another vehicle in the blind spot on the turning side. Using blind spot detection effectively places further emphasis on the importance of using turn signals (blinkers) at all times. Certain systems are also capable of briefly overriding a driver’s steering inputs to keep the vehicle in its lane and prevent a blind spot collision.
II. Curve Speed Warning: Curve speed warning systems utilize GPS coupled with digital maps to monitor vehicles as they approach sharper curves in the road. If the system detects that the vehicle is approaching a curve at an unsafe speed, an audio/visual alert is triggered. Entering a curve at high speeds can cause a vehicle to skid sideways into oncoming traffic. The driver is at risk of a rollover crash at dangerously excessive speeds, especially for some trucks and SUVs.
III. Fatigue Warning: Fatigue warning systems rely on advanced algorithms and onboard computer software to analyze driver steering, vehicle motion, braking, and other “normal” driver inputs. Some systems have features that monitor a driver’s eye blink rate and blink duration. Such systems can alert the driver if it detects unusual patterns consistent with inattention or driver fatigue. Driver fatigue, also called drowsy driving, greatly increases the risk of a car accident and is also the leading cause of fatal commercial truck accidents.
IV. Forward Collision Avoidance Systems: This technology can alert drivers whenever a vehicle gets too close to the one in front of it in traffic. Many of these systems pre-charge the brakes to maximize their effect if the driver must suddenly respond to the warning. Some systems even engage the brakes automatically if the driver doesn’t slow the vehicle in time (potentially due to a health complication or driver fatigue). These systems use various types of sensors, such as cameras, radar or light detection and ranging (LIDAR) to detect vehicles or objects in front of the vehicle. Pedestrian detection is an added subset of forward collision avoidance designed to recognize pedestrians. These particular systems use advanced algorithms and a combination of sensors and cameras to spot pedestrians who cross into or are about to cross into the driver’s path.
The Effectiveness of New Safety Technologies in Accident Prevention
Crash avoidance systems are relatively new technologies – most are found only in select luxury model cars made in 2012 or later. As the technology demonstrates its effectiveness, it will become more widely available on all makes and may eventually become required under future government safety regulations. At the moment, many of the more advanced safety systems haven’t been around long enough for researchers to fully analyze a comprehensive data set, but a few systems are showing promise – based on recent research and insurance claims data. According to IIHS analysis of 2004-2008 crash data:
“If all passenger vehicles were equipped with forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and blind spot detection systems, roughly 1 in 3 fatal crashes and 1 in 5 injury-related crashes could potentially be prevented or lessened in severity. These estimates presume the systems perform as advertised and drivers respond to them correctly. They also reflect known limitations of crash avoidance systems available at the time of the study.”
The IIHS also evaluated the potential effectiveness of crash avoidance technologies in commercial trucks, used primarily to combat diver fatigue and inattention among semi-truck (tractor trailer / 18-wheeler) drivers. The IIHS findings read as follows:
“Based on an analysis of 2004-2008 crashes, it found that blind spot detection, forward collision warning, lane departure warning and ESC together could prevent or mitigate as many as 28 percent of large truck crashes a year, including 1 out of 5 fatal ones.”
Safety Technology Limitations and Areas for Improvement
Many modern safety technologies rely on the driver to take action. The effectiveness of these systems depends on whether today’s motorists ultimately accept (and enable) the crash avoidance systems, understand how the technology works, and respond appropriately to maximize system effectiveness. This is especially true for warning-based technologies, as the alert is useless if it’s ignored by the driver. If drivers find the systems annoying, overwhelming or unhelpful, they may disable them.
In addition to driver challenges, the technology itself may bear some limitations. For example, lane departure warning systems rely on the ability of the sensors to register lane markings, which may be difficult on roads that aren’t well marked or those covered by snow. In a field test of a prototype road departure warning system, the system was available 76 percent of the time on freeways compared with only 36 percent of the time on non-freeways. Sensors linked to systems like radar and LIDAR can also be inhibited by environmental factors such as lighting or heavy precipitation. In the same IIHS study, the lane departure warning system was available 56 percent of the time during dry, daytime conditions but a mere 4 percent of the time during rain and low-light / night conditions.
Additionally, some systems only function optimally at certain speeds. Other systems require separate driver activation each time the vehicle is started. Systems that rely on GPS to maintain the vehicle’s precise position such as curve speed warning, are limited by the most up to date availability of digital maps.
References:
IIHS
