HELPFUL OR HYPE: HOW MUCH OF THE LATEST IN AUTO SAFETY TECHNOLOGY REALLY INCREASES SAFETY?

Each year when auto manufacturers introduce new models, they boast about new safety devices and technology that will make drivers and passengers safer. But how much additional safety do the latest innovations provide?

What’s the hype, and what’s actually helpful? Here’s a quick rundown:

HELPFUL:   Airbags    Airbags were first introduced in 1989 and have been required by the federal government since 1999. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety  (IIHS) calls them one of the most significant safety innovations of recent decades.    The earliest airbags occasionally injured passengers by deploying too strongly. This is no longer the case: According to the IIHS, more sophisticated engineering has made serious airbag injuries extremely rare . The airbags installed in newer vehicles include devices that detect a passenger’s weight and position, and adjust the airbag’s deployment force accordingly.    

HYPE:   Hands-Free Devices and Accessories    When first introduced, hands-free devices were touted for their supposed ability to decrease the risk of distracted-driving accidents by allowing drivers to keep their hands on the wheel while making calls. That ostensible increase in safety subsequently prompted more than half  of U.S. states to require that drivers use some sort of hands-free phone device–whether Bluetooth, headset, or car-audio technology.   Unfortunately, it turns out that hands-free devices provide a false sense of safety, as do the new dashboard touch-icons that make it easier to access display systems:

An extended hands-free phone conversation allows more time for drivers to be distracted from focusing on what’s happening around them.

As for the newest dashboard innovations, David Stayer, a professor of cognition and neural science at the University of Utah who conducts distracted driving research for the AAA, has said  that all the new accessories make the modern car look like “a jet fighter.” Although dashboard icons make it easier for drivers to activate car systems without taking their eyes off the road for too long, Stayer says they present more opportunities for distracted driving.     

HELPFUL:   Adaptive Cruise Control and Automatic Emergency Braking   Like many other new safety devices, Adaptive Cruise Control utilizes a radar system originally employed as part of the R&D used in creating driverless cars.   With traditional cruise control, once a driver achieves the desired speed, they push the cruise-control button so that they needn’t worry about going over the speed limit. The driver’s only job then becomes to focus on traffic and anything else on the road.   The new Adaptive Cruise Control technology allows the car to keep pace with the car in front of it. If that car slows down, the system’s Automatic Emergency Braking kicks in, reducing the chances of a rear-end collision.   Automatic Emergency Braking sets off an audible alarm (and, in some models, a vibrating steering wheel) to grab the driver’s attention. If the driver doesn’t immediately step on the brakes, the system itself automatically engages the brakes.   

MOSTLY HELPFUL: Crash Imminent Braking (CIB)/Dynamic Brake Support (DBS)   To supplement Automatic Emergency Braking, more manufacturers are including Crash Imminent Braking/Dynamic Brake Support systems that automatically apply the brakes whenever the car’s computer system senses that it’s not slowing down fast enough to prevent a collision. In those situations, the braking system kicks in on its own, but these systems are not foolproof—and sometimes fools abound, turning otherwise routine commutes into an unnecessary hazard...

HELPFUL:   Blind Spot Monitoring   Blind Spot Monitoring instructs lasers and video cameras installed in the car to keep an eye on close-by spots that the driver cannot see. This helps prevent auto collisions if the driver tries to change lanes when a car is approaching quickly on that side. It can also reduce the number of tragic incidents where a large vehicle’s blind spot prevents the driver from seeing a bicycle or motorcycle directly next to them on the front passenger side.   

HELPFUL:   Lane Departure Warnings and Lane-Keeping Assist   A Lane Departure Warning system mounts a camera in the car’s front that monitors its position relative to the lane markers, issuing a warning when the car starts to veer off. With Lane-Keeping Assist, if a car continues to veer out of its lane, the steering system actually takes over the wheel and steers the car back into its lane. A milder version of the mechanism is set off if the driver attempts a lane change without using their turn signal.     

BUT SEE:   No Safety Device Can Compensate for Distracted Driving   None of these inventions will ever replace the need for alert, focused drivers. The most sophisticated driving technology in existence won’t be able to prevent an accident if a driver spends too much time texting, fiddling with the car controls, or looking for something on the seat next to them or behind them. Manfred Sternberg & Associates is a full-service law firm in Houston, Texas. If you are having trouble collecting on an insurance claim or need assistance with another legal matter, contact us through our submission form.