Collision avoidance system as a standard feature
Car manufacturers in Louisiana and around the country should pay close attention to a recent study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety regarding collision avoidance systems in cars. These systems gained legitimacy due to findings that reveal single-vehicle, side-swipe and head-on car crashes get reduced by 11 percent when drivers operate vehicles equipped with anti-collision systems. Moreover, injury-inducing car accidents get reduced by 21 percent when drivers operate vehicles equipped with anti-crash systems.
Despite these stats, only 6 percent of vehicles sold at this time have lane departure warning systems as a standard feature on basic models. Furthermore, only 11 percent of vehicles sold have blind spot alert systems as a standard feature on basic models.
The vice president of research at IIHS said in a recent report with CNBC that collision avoidance systems are “saving lives.” In the same report, she stated that the numbers from the IIHS research show that “warning systems work.”
The findings by IIHS should get the attention of car manufacturers for another reason as well. It looks like drivers are disabling their anti-collision systems, and this could indicate trouble for drivers and auto manufacturers.
IIHS compared their findings to another study, which tracked U.S. fleet vehicles and Volvo cars in Sweden. Researchers in those studies found a 50-percent reduction in crash rates when collision avoidance systems were included as a feature in a vehicle and utilized. IIHS researchers believe that the discrepancy means that drivers are turning off their collision avoidance systems.
Car manufacturers should pay attention to any safety features that can reduce injuries and save lives, and drivers should be mindful to take advantage of these systems. If a person is injured in an auto accident, a personal injury attorney who handles car crashes may be able to evaluate the claim to determine whether or not collision avoidance systems could have prevented any injuries.
Tags: Car Accidents
