Cars Should Have Collision Avoidance Systems, Says NTSB

Collision avoidance systems have helped make air travel safer, as signals alert planes to a pending collision and take appropriate action to avoid a crash. Now the NTSB is calling for the addition of similar systems to all cars and commercial vehicles, hoping to prevent thousands of injuries and deaths each year.

Currently, rear-end collisions on U.S. roadways kill about 1,700 people and injure about half a million people each year. This is out of about 1.7 million rear end collisions annually. In a report released Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), data showed that collision avoidance systems can either prevent rear-end collisions or reduce their severity in about eighty percent of cases by acting automatically when two vehicles are about to collide.

Collision avoidance systems generally use technologies like radar, cameras, or light detection to monitor the environment around the vehicle, detecting a potential conflict. They then alert a driver with an alarm if they believe a crash is imminent or the driver is about to veer out of their lane. The car then brakes automatically, brakes harder if the driver is already breaking, or turns on electronic stability control to avoid a potential collision or rollover. The quality of the cameras and other sensors, as well as the algorithms the computers use, can affect the effectiveness of a particular car’s safety system.

The NTSB had previously called for collision avoidance systems to be mandatory on cars and other vehicles, but changes have been slow. Only certain cars currently offer the features, and they are often an add-on that costs the driver more. According to the NTSB, only four passenger car models out of almost seven hundred had a complete forward collision avoidance system as a standard feature as opposed to an option. This included the Subaru Forester, Outback, and Legacy as well as the Mercedes-Benz G Class 4X4, with three out of four of them being SUVs and one a mid-size sedan. Many consumers may not even be aware of the safety features, and others may avoid them as they are bundled with expensive non-safety related options like heated seats or leather-style interiors. They are also often offered on higher-end vehicles, not entry-level cars that a large portion of drivers would purchase.

In the past, an automotive industry group argued that the safety features should be a consumer choice. The NTSB argues, however, that just as consumers should not have to pay extra to choose a seatbelt, they should also not pay extra for at least a basic collision avoidance system.

Ideally, the NTSB would like to see government legislation requiring the collision avoidance systems in all passenger cars. Without being forced to make a monetary choice about purchasing the safety features with their vehicles, consumers would have the systems already, when they need it. With enough cars including the safety features, the NTSB envisions the number of collisions, injuries, and deaths dropping drastically.

Along with forcing car makers to include collision avoidance systems as standard, the NTSB would like to see testing of each car’s system. There are currently no official standards or government rating system for these safety features.

Because of the lack of standards for the collision avoidance systems, they can vary greatly from car to car. There are concerns about the autonomous breaking systems on newer model Jeep Grand Cherokees, for example. Some consumers complain the brakes come on for no reason, which actually increases the chance of a rear-end collision as the vehicle comes to a sudden stop. Standards and ratings could force changes to collision avoidance systems that seem to have flaws like this.

Although the NTSB investigates and makes recommendations, they do not have the power to create or enforce laws. However, they are hoping that lawmakers and automotive manufacturers will listen to the recommendations they believe could save thousands of lives.