Saving Lives: Automatic Emergency Braking Systems for New Cars
Since the invention of the automobile, traffic accidents have been a sad fact of life for Americans and others around the world. As the number of cars and trucks in the United States exploded in the Twentieth Century, so too did the number of accidents – and with them, the number of injuries and deaths. The quest for new safety technologies has been underway for decades now, and progress has been made in many areas. Even so, far too many lives are lost each year to what can only be referred to as an epidemic of traffic crashes on the nation’s roads and highways. Automatic emergency braking systems for new cars could be a step toward even greater reductions in those accident statistics.
Startling Statistics
To understand why technology could be so important in the fight against injury and fatality on US roadways, it is helpful to examine the nature of the challenge that we face. In one study of just a subset of vehicle crashes in the United States, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found that approximately 1.7 million rear-end crashes take place on an annual basis. In just those crashes alone, roughly 400,000 injuries occur and more than 200 lives are lost each year. Altogether, the financial cost of those collisions amounts to nearly $50 billion.
The fact is that the NHTSA estimates that one person is killed in a fatal car accident every sixteen minutes. Moreover, that death toll is striking down the nation’s younger generations at an alarming rate. In fact, the US government now estimates that automobile crashes are now the “leading cause of death for Americans between the ages of 11 and 27″.
What is Automatic Braking?
Automatic emergency braking (AEB) is a form of technology that the NHTSA includes under the group of safety devices that it has dubbed Forward Crash Avoidance and Mitigation (FCAM) systems. The technology is considered among the more revolutionary safety devices in use today, and combines the best features of electronic stability control with the most advanced driver assist systems commercially available.
These systems work together either with or without the driver and can help to slow a vehicle down and diminish the impact of crashes that are otherwise unavoidable. These benefits are accomplished by making use of state of the art data collection gathered via video systems and radar. This data is used to recreate a real-time road image that provides an accurate view and assessment of the conditions prevalent at any given moment.
When dangerous conditions are detected, the computer can begin to apply the brake pressure needed to begin deceleration. Once the driver engages the brakes, the system provides even more pressure to slow the car. In the best case scenarios, this will buy the driver the time he needs to gain control of the situation – either slowing the vehicle down enough to avoid or minimize the impact of a crash, or steering the automobile out of danger.
In situations where the driver fails to accomplish either of those feats, however, there is an autonomous system that springs into action to engage the maximum amount of braking available at the time. That emergency action helps the vehicle to achieve its maximum potential deceleration and is known as full ABS braking.
Technology Saves Lives
Of course, that all sounds promising but the real test is in whether lives can actually be saved via technology. On that front, the outlook appears to be good. If past is indeed prologue, the technological benefits should be extremely positive. In the half-century, the NHTSA estimates that hundreds of thousands of traffic deaths have been prevented thanks to the installation of various automobile safety devices. Airbags, seat belts, electronic stability control, and other technological advances are credited with having saved some 600,000 lives between 1960 and 2012 – with almost half of those lives having been saved in the last ten years of that period.
That last note is important because it reveals that technology’s ability to prevent serious death and injury is improving as the years go by. In that study, the agency found that your chance of dying as a result of a car crash was reduced by 56 percent over a 52-year period. The newest technologies provide hope that those odds can be reduced even more.
The Push for Universal Autonomous Braking Systems
Of course, none of that matters unless these systems make it into the nation’s cars. For some time now, the thought and expectation were that this would have to be accomplished through regulation, just as so many other safety features often gained acceptance in the auto industry in response to government intervention. In this instance, however, the path forward is one that is paved with cooperation from both government and the private sector.
The NHTSA recently announced that 20 automobile manufacturers have made a commitment to standardize this aspect of vehicle safety. That commitment will help to ensure that more than 99% of the American automobile marketplaces these automatic emergency braking features into almost every new car in the United States.
The goal is to have this technology integrated into the auto production cycle by the year 2022. NHTSA officials have noted that their estimated time for accomplishing the same feat through regulation would have required an additional three years for completion, with the requisite loss of lives that this agreement will now save. Yes, that’s right: the very existence of this commitment and its accelerated timeline for implementing AEB technology means that an estimated 28,000 crashes, 12,000 injuries, and hundreds of fatalities will now be prevented.
Six years from now, virtually every new car purchased in the United States will be safer and more secure thanks to the implementation of this latest technological marvel. Lives will be saved, injuries will be prevented, and many crashes will be avoided altogether. The good news is that technology is finally reaching the point where it can help to turn the tide on the scourge of traffic accidents, injuries, and deaths.
CONTACT HERRMAN & HERRMAN IF YOU HAVE BEEN INJURED IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF ACCIDENTS:
We can help you if you have been harmed by the following:
- Car accidents – Our lawyers have extensive experience handling car accident cases. We will work to identify the party or parties at fault for the crash and build a case to demonstrate persuasively how the parties caused the accident and your injuries. We will seek fair and full compensation through a negotiated settlement or at trial if necessary.
- Truck accidents – Thousands of large commercial trucks travel the roads of Texas every single day. Unfortunately, careless truck drivers and trucking companies disregarding safety put innocent people at risk of serious injuries. If you’ve been injured in a truck accident, let our experienced Texas personal injury lawyers stand up to the trucking companies and insurers on your behalf.
- Motorcycle accidents – Motorcycle riders often suffer grievous injuries in crashes caused by other motorists. Too many motorcycle accidents in Corpus Christi are caused by careless drivers who don’t look for motorcycle riders or violate their right of way. Our personal injury lawyers will work to cut through the bias and stigma against motorcycle riders. Our goal is to seek the financial compensation that you’ll need to recover from a serious motorcycle accident and injuries such as bone fractures, road rash, or traumatic brain injury.
- Product liability – Product manufacturers have a legal obligation to make products that are safe for their intended uses and to warn consumers of any risks that may come with the product. When products have design or manufacturing defects or undisclosed dangers, the product manufacturer may be legally responsible for injuries suffered by consumers. Our attorneys can help you evaluate whether you have a valid product liability claim.
- Brain injury – Brain injuries can leave accident victims with disabilities that leave them unable to work or perform many tasks of daily living. Seeking compensation for a brain injury in an accident often proves incredibly complex. The brain injury survivor may seek compensation for anticipated future medical care and the medical care already provided. Our personal injury lawyers can help you through the difficult recovery process following a brain injury and will fight to make sure you have the resources you need.
- Spinal injury – Spinal cord injuries could cost millions of dollars of care over the course of the victim’s lifetime, especially when those injuries result in partial or complete paralysis, such as paraplegia or quadriplegia. If you or your loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, you deserve compassionate legal representation. Our attorney can help you determine whether you may be entitled to claim compensation for your injury and expenses related to living with the disability, such as making a home more accessible.
- Wrongful death – If you have lost a loved one due to the negligent or reckless actions of another party, your family deserves to seek accountability and compensation from those at fault for the wrongful death. Our caring and dedicated attorneys can help guide you and your family through this difficult and painful time and seek justice for your loved one.
ABOUT HERRMAN & HERRMAN PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS
With over 100 years of combined experience among the legal team of Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C., our Texas personal injury attorneys have successfully resolved over 20,000 cases. When representing injured Texas residents, we fight for justice against wrongdoing and aggressively pursue the best resolution to complex personal injury claims.
If you or a loved one was injured, please get in touch with us for a free initial consultation and case evaluation. Herrman & Herrman, P.L.L.C., is a locally based law firm that holds negligent individuals and companies accountable for their wrongdoing. We are not a personal injury mill that advertises nationwide. We provide individualized advocacy in attending to all aspects of claims that involve. Our firm has offices in the following locations: Corpus Christi, Corpus Christi South Side, Dallas, Brownsville, McAllen, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Ft. Worth, TX.
We remain by our client’s side, handling all aspects of their claims and attending to all legal, medical, and financial needs. That dedication combines experience, legal knowledge, and insight from a former insurance adjuster and several former insurance defense attorneys. Whether our clients suffer from physical pain from an accident or the emotional grief of death, we treat clients with compassion. We put their mind at ease during difficult times by answering their questions concerning the length of their claim, medical bills, financial compensation, and their overall need for a lawyer.
