Jersey Shore Personal Injury and Employment Specialists

Will automatic braking systems keep me from being in an accident?

On Behalf of | Nov 10, 2016 | Car Accidents |

New cars are increasingly being equipped with technology that allows them to operate in an autonomous manner on Monmouth County roads. One such feature is automatic braking. This allows your car to brake by itself when it senses that a crash is imminent. While this technology has the potential to prevent injuries and save lives, it is important that you be well-informed about what your car is designed to do and what limitations these types of systems may have.

Currently, there are actually two types of automatic braking systems available in vehicles, according to AAA. One is designed to apply enough brake pressure to stop a collision from occurring. The other is meant to slow down the car and lessen any impact, thus making the crash less severe. If your car is equipped with automatic braking, it is important that you know which kind of system it has.

This innovation appears to be popular with drivers. While only 9 percent of drivers in this country have vehicles with automatic braking, almost 40 percent want it on the next vehicle they purchase. Car makers are responding to this trend accordingly. 99 percent of cars are manufactured by 20 different companies and those automakers have pledged that by 2022, automatic braking will be included on all new cars.

How well these systems function can vary from vehicle to vehicle. When operated within the limits of the system’s design, both kinds performed well in a recent study. It was found that, overall, systems designed to make crashes less severe reduced vehicle speed by an average of 40 percent. By comparison, those designed to stop crashes reduced speeds by 79 percent. However, when pushed beyond those limits, results varied greatly. This is provided as general information on this topic and should not be considered legal advice.