How Car Safety Technology Improves Traffic Safety and Prevents Car Accidents
The legal team at Silverman, McDonald, & Friedman, is here to help you when you have been injured in a car accident that was the result of the negligence of another driver. We are proud to serve our clients who live in and around Seaford, Wilmington, and Newark. Please contact us for more information.
It only takes a single moment of inattention to cause a terrible crash, or driving too fast to set in motion a collision that could cause catastrophic injury. Could it be that cars have become such an integral part of the way we live our lives that we have begun to lose respect for their power and potential to inflict injury and death.? Because our safety and the safety of the other drivers with whom we share the roadways hinges on our ability to pay attention while we are driving, auto makers have, for decades, been developing technologies that can compensate for our human frailties and help curb the millions of car crashes that cause thousands of injuries and fatalities each year in the U.S.
In 2015, there was a staggering 35,092 traffic fatalities on U.S. roadways, which represents a 7.2% increase over the previous year, and was the largest percentage increase in 50 years. The number of people injured in traffic crashes in 2015 was 2.44 million and both injuries and fatalities increased across almost all segments of the population. The National Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) tracks and reports these numbers, and they also analyze factors such as human choices which contribute to causing traffic crashes. Fatalities from distracted driver related crashes were up 8.8%, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities were up 3.2%, speeding deaths up 3.0% and drowsy driving fatalities were down -3.2%.
The U.S. Department of Transportation and its goal to eliminate traffic fatalities is modeling its approach on the Swedish, “Vision Zero,” program. Part of the DOT’s Safety Strategic Plan is to encourage vehicle manufacturers to develop innovative technology tools that will eventually culminate in self-driving (autonomous vehicles). While a world of self-driving cars is yet a few years away, newer cars are coming equipped with some intriguing technological safety features that help protect the life and safety of the driver.
What safety tech is available in most cars?
Driver error is responsible for the majority of traffic crashes, but as we look at how the technologies work to help avert traffic crashes and keep drivers safe behind the wheel:
- Adaptive cruise control uses radar to detect traffic patterns and then responds by slowing or speeding up according to the flow of traffic. The driver sets the speed, and chooses how much distance to maintain between them and the vehicle ahead of them
- Electronic stability control according to safercar.com, helps drivers maintain control of their vehicles during extreme steering maneuvers by keeping the vehicle headed in the driver’s intended direction.
- Forward collision warning alerts the driver of an imminent collision with a slower moving vehicle or one that has stopped in front of you. This technology is designed to avert rear-end collisions, but it will not stop the car automatically for you.
- Automatic emergency braking systems, which are often combined with forward collision warning systems will stop your vehicle if you do not do so to avoid crashing into a stopped vehicle in front of you. This feature may become a standard feature in new vehicles by 2022.
- Lane departure warning can detect if you are drifting out of your lane without using the turn signal. It alerts you with a sound, flashing lights or a vibration, and in some systems, corrective steering will kick-in to get you back into your lane.
- Adaptive headlights can adjust their direction and intensity in response to the way the driver is steering to shine more light in response to how the driver is steering to shine light on curvy roads and potential obstacles in the roadway.
- Blind spot monitoring alerts you to the presence of a vehicle driving in a blind spot. It appears as a flashing light on the outside rear-view mirror.
- Backup cameras are designed to avert the “back over” accident where a driver accidentally backs over a person who is behind their vehicle when they are backing up. The driver looks at their rear-view mirror and a video screen which displays an image of whatever is immediately behind the vehicle. The NHTSA reports that 15,000 injuries and 201 deaths occur from back over accidents. In 2018, backup cameras will be standard equipment.
- Alertness monitoring prevents crashes that can occur from drowsy driving by sensing that the driver might be drifting off and warns the driver with a visual alert and an audible alert.
For a more thorough list of car safety systems produced by the National Safety Council and the University of Iowa, visit My Car Does What?
Until self-driving cars become a thing, drivers cannot strictly rely on these new technical gadgets to keep them safe. These car safety technologies are designed to be a backup system and not a replacement for the driver’s 100 percent undivided attention to the task of driving.
At Silverman, McDonald, & Friedman, our car accident lawyers determine liability and seek compensation for our clients who have been injured in Delaware car accidents. We proudly serve clients from our offices in Seaford, Wilmington, and Newark. You are encouraged to call 302-888-2900 or fill out our contact form now to schedule a free consultation.
Attorney Jeffrey S. Friedman joined Silverman, McDonald & Friedman in 2001. He graduated from Widener University School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and in several Federal Circuit courts. He areas of concentration include auto accident and workers’ compensation cases. Read more about Attorney Friedman here.