Every year auto manufacturers release their newest models and many times buyers are sold on the newest safety features. Driver assistance features reduce the number of potential accidents but also can help reduce injuries even when accidents do occur. Companies like Volvo and General Motors have both gone public stating that their ultimate goal is to do business in a world with no automobile-related fatalities.
Pedestrian-detection systems have already been credited with directly reducing pedestrian accidents, although it is hard to measure the exact extent, in part, because there isn’t a way to measure accidents that didn’t happen. However, a 2018 study by J.D. Power found that more than half of the drivers with a pedestrian-detection system reported that the system helped prevent a crash in the first 90 days they had the vehicle.
The study’s results include:
- 49% of owners said blind spot alerts helped avoid a crash.
- 35% credited forward collision alert or automatic braking with preventing a crash.
- 42% said backup cameras and parking sensors did.
Other safety features include collision alert, blind spot alert, and emergency braking. These features are not just for the high-dollar, high-end automobiles, but are becoming standard on the majority of new vehicles being produced.
“Driver assistance technologies not only keep drivers and passengers safe, but they keep other drivers and pedestrians safe, too,” according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), which sets standards and evaluates vehicle safety.
Automakers are increasingly offering various ADAS features on all or most models to keep up with safety regulations and demand from safety-conscious shoppers. Unfortunately, each automaker has its name for the systems, complicating comparison shopping.
There’s no hard data on ADAS benefits yet — at least in part because of the challenge of counting accidents that didn’t happen — but off the record, one automaker said they’re selling fewer repair parts for cars that do have the systems, and suspect the reason is that they’re involved in fewer crashes.
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