IIHS Study: Automatic Braking and Forward Collision Warning Systems Could Have Prevented 700,000 Crashes in 2013

Jennifer van der Kleut

A new study about the potential benefits of automatic braking asserts that the technology could have prevented a whopping 700,000 rear-end crashes in 2013.

The study, conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Highway Loss Data Institute using U.S. police-reported crash data, is adding fuel to the fight being waged by countless safety groups, regulators and even some automakers to include automatic braking systems in all future car models.

The study also touches upon the benefit of forward collision warning systems, reporting that the technology reduces crashes by 23 percent.

Crashes are reduced by 40 percent on average in cars that feature automatic braking, the study indicates.

Though front-crash prevention technology is becoming more prevalent, the study reports that in most cases, it is still only being offered as optional equipment.

“That may soon change, however. In September, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and IIHS announced an agreement in principle with automakers to make autobrake standard on all models,” the report reads.

The study also suggests that automatic braking reduces injuries in front crashes.

“The rate of rear-end crashes with injuries decreases by 42 percent with [both] forward collision warning [and] autobrake,” the report said.

“Even when a crash isn’t avoided, systems that have autobrake have a good chance of preventing injuries by reducing the impact speed,” says Jessica Cicchino, the study’s author and IIHS’ vice president for research.

All in all, the study says 700,000 crashes in 2013 could have been avoided with safety technology like forward collision warning systems and automatic braking, which amounts to 13 percent of all police-reported crashes that year.

Still, it seems a slow road toward implementing the technologies widely.

According to Automotive News, “For the 2015 model year, just 1 percent of vehicles included automatic braking as a standard feature, while 26 percent offered it as an option, according to IIHS.”