Front crash prevention systems reduce rear-end crashes

On behalf of Aiken and Aiken P.C. Personal Injury Attorneys posted in Car Accidents, on Wednesday, February 24, 2016

According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, cars and trucks equipped with front crash prevention systems are significantly less likely to be involved in rear-end crashes. Further, the study says that if all vehicles in Massachusetts and across the U.S. had automatic-braking systems, there would have been around 700,000 fewer rear-end accidents reported to the police in 2013. For the study, the IIHS examined rear-end crash data collected between 2010 and 2014 from 22 states involving auto-braking vehicles manufactured by Acura, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, Subaru and Volvo. The data was then compared to the crash information involving the same vehicle models without front crash prevention systems. According to the research, auto-braking systems cut down on rear-end accidents by an average of 40 percent, and front collision warning systems reduced such crashes by 23 percent. Automatic-braking systems have also been found to significantly reduce crash-related injuries. Front crash prevention technologies are becoming more widely available, but they are mostly offered in optional equipment packages. However, in September 2015, the IIHS and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a preliminary agreement with car manufacturers that would make automatic-braking systems standard on all new vehicle models. Rear-end crashes can cause back, spinal and whiplash injuries, which can take weeks or months to recover from. People who have been injured in such an accident caused by another party may want to have the assistance of a personal injury lawyer in seeking compensation for the subsequent medical expenses and other losses.