Safety Technology and Car Accident Prevention
When you shop for a new vehicle in or around Marietta, Georgia, safety is likely one of the considerations on your mind. For example, does the automobile you are considering have strongly reviewed safety features that are designed to prevent car collisions? Does the car have advanced safety systems like a rear-collision warning system, or an Advanced Driver-Assistance System (ADAS)? These safety features, along with many others, come standard in certain new vehicles, and car buyers can select them in others. Yet do these safety systems actually make a significant difference when it comes to motor vehicle collision prevention? According to a recent article in Forbes, these kinds of systems do have an effect on auto accident rates and can, even if only slightly, reduce your chance of being injured in a crash.
Safety Features that Prevent Motor Vehicle Collisions
According to the article, a recent study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) suggests that “the crash involvement rate for vehicles with blind-spot monitoring [is] 14 percent lower than the same models without the equipment.” Indeed, according to that study, if all motor vehicles had blind-spot monitoring systems, we would see a total of 50,000 fewer crashes and 16,000 fewer collisions involving serious injuries. Other studies cite ADAS systems more generally, and research conducted by LexisNexis Risk Solutions suggests that “ADAS vehicles showed a 27 percent reduction in bodily injury claim frequency and a 19 percent reduction in property damage frequency.”
Some of those estimates seem somewhat high, according to certain researchers. In other words, the safety technologies may not be quite so adept at preventing car accidents. Yet even studies that show lower rates of accident prevention still suggest that the technology is certainly worth it and can make a difference when it comes to preventing collisions that cause serious personal injuries. For example, research out of Carnegie Mellon University indicates that, at the very least, some “combination of vehicle crash avoidance technologies reduces crash frequency by about 3.5 percent.” While a reduction in the overall number of car crashes by 3.5 percent might not seem notable, it is important to realize that such a reduction would reduce the economic costs of motor vehicle crashes by about $264 billion.
What Safety Features Should You Seek Out?
If you are hoping to avoid a car accident with safety technology in your vehicle, you should remember that you cannot rely solely on safety systems for crash prevention. However, if you do want to ensure that your car has the best possible tools to help you avoid a wreck, you should look for some of the following features, according to the article:
- Adaptive cruise control;
- Automatic emergency braking;
- Blind-spot detection;
- Collision warning;
- Cross-traffic alerts;
- Forward-collision warning;
- Rear-collision warning;
- Lane-departure warning;
- Pedestrian detection; and
- Road sign recognition.
All of these features are considered to be part of ADAS systems and can help drivers to avoid serious injuries.
Contact a Marietta Car Accident Attorney
Even the best safety systems cannot prevent all crashes caused by negligent drivers. If you were injured in a collision caused by another motorist’s careless or reckless behavior, a Marietta car accident lawyer can assist you. Contact The Strickland Firm for more information.
Resource:
forbes.com/advisor/car-insurance/vehicle-safety-features-accidents/
https://www.thestricklandfirm.com/georgia-car-accident-lawsuit-faqs/
