Researchers Develop Method for Testing Effectiveness of Crash Avoidance Technology

October 2, 2013

Motor vehicle accidents continue to be one of the leading causes of accidental death across the United States today. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that 32,367 motorists lost their lives in collisions in 2011 alone. The Car Accident Lawyers with William Mattar Law Offices explain that the automotive industry is in the process of developing several new pieces of technology that could help reduce the number of fatal crashes.

An article published by The New York Times points out that while crash avoidance technology has been available for several years as an option on certain makes and models, there was no data available to show the technology’s effectiveness. Now though, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has developed a method for testing how well such equipment works at preventing crashes.

Researchers drove 74 different vehicles towards a stationary target at speeds of 12 and 25 mph. During the drive, data was collected from vehicles that was used to determine the effectiveness of each safety system.

Of the vehicles tested, seven received a rating of superior. Those vehicles include:

• Cadillac ATS
• Cadillac SRX
• Mercedes-Benz C-Class
• Subaru Legacy
• Subaru Outback
• Volvo S60
• Volvo XC60

William Mattar’s Personal Injury Lawyers are hopeful the research is used to expedite the implementation of such safety equipment in more vehicles in the future.