Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
Technology has been changing the way we drive for years now, and many new features have resulted in an increase in safety on American roadways. One such feature is automatic emergency braking, a system that combines sensors outside of a vehicle to detect potential hazards and then automatically triggers the brakes if the system determines a vehicle is at risk for a car accident.
Automatic emergency braking (“AEB”) is triggered when drivers fail to take appropriate action to slow or stop their cars, thus significantly reducing the number of rear-end accidents and other forms of collisions that happen every year. As rear-end crashes are the most common form of traffic accident comprising one-third to one-half of collisions, any significant reduction in these incidents is expected to save billions of dollars in economic damages, prevent thousands of injuries, and save countless lives.
Until recently, AEB has been an optional feature present mostly on high-end new cars, protecting some but still covering only a limited portion of drivers. Yesterday, though, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced that 20 automobile manufactures comprising more than 99 percent of the American auto market will introduce AEB as a standard feature on their vehicles no later than September 1, 2022.
The manufacturers confirmed in yesterday’s statement are Ford, General Motors, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan, Toyota, Porsche, Tesla Motors Inc., Volkswagen, Volvo Car USA, FCA US LLC, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, and Mitsubishi. These manufacturers voluntarily complied with this new safety procedure which means that the technology is expected to be widely available several years earlier than it would be if auto makers did not institute the technology until formal federal regulations required it, leading to a significant increase in road safety and an overall benefit to the people of Chicago as well as those across the nation.
In the meantime, every new vehicle with AEB on the roads increases the safety of others severalfold. Not only are those who drive or who ride in a car with AEB at a decreased risk for a collisions but so are those who happen to be near a vehicle with AEB. This technology can come into play when a driver errs or when a driver in a different car makes a mistake, preventing even those collisions that are beyond the control of the person behind the wheel of an AEB car.
Today, car accidents keep happening in Illinois and keep altering the lives of those involved. If you find yourself the victim of a rear-end collision or other type of traffic crash, know that you may be entitled to seek financial compensation for your damages, including any medical bills you may incur. Call the personal injury attorneys at Abels & Annes, P.C. toll free at (855) 529-2442 or locally at (312) 924-7575 for a case consultation without cost or obligation if you want to learn more about your legal rights. We have a licensed lawyer standing by 24/7 so that you can call us whenever is convenient for you and still get the answers you deserve.
Prior Blog Entry:
Nighttime Driving: Is It Always Safe?, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published March 16, 2016.
Resource:
U.S. DOT and IIHS announce historic commitment of 20 automakers to make automatic emergency braking standard on new vehicles, IIHS News, published March 17, 2016.