Study: Vehicle Warning and Braking Systems Cut Crashes by 50 percent
2022-11-17
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1A new study has found that tools designed to warn drivers and automatically stop vehicles in emergency situations helped reduce crashes by about 50 percent.
2The study is one of the largest of its kind to examine the effectiveness of driver assistance systems.
3The research was carried out by the Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety (PARTS).
4The organization is a partnership between automakers and the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
5For the study, numerous automobile manufacturers supplied vehicle equipment data on 93 different vehicle models from 2015 to 2020.
6This information was combined with data collected on more than 12 million police-reported crashes in 13 American states.
7One of the technologies studied is called forward collision warning.
8Collison is another word for crash.
9This system uses cameras, radar and other technology tools to gather information on safe driving distances.
10It warns drivers if their vehicle is getting too close to other vehicles ahead.
11Another related driver assistance tool is known as automatic emergency braking.
12This system is designed to identify possible crash dangers involving vehicles ahead.
13The tool can automatically slow or stop a vehicle if it senses the immediate danger of a crash.
14The PARTS group's study found that front to rear crashes were reduced by 49 percent when the striking vehicle had both forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking.
15The systems also reduced crashes resulting in injuries by 53 percent.
16The research also suggested automatic braking systems perform well in many situations, including poor weather and low light conditions.
17The study also found that vehicles equipped with technologies designed to keep vehicles in their driving lane "are effective in reducing single-vehicle crashes that lead to serious injuries."
18Many carmakers now include this kind of technology on some vehicle models.
19It is designed to automatically keep a vehicle centered in lanes of traffic.
20The study found these tools reduced crashes involving vehicles leaving the roadway by eight percent.
21Tim Czapp is an industry representative on the PARTS board.
22He also serves as a top executive at the Europe-based auto group Stellantis.
23He said in a statement that the latest study shows the driver assist technologies "can substantially reduce the number of crashes and improve safety outcomes."
24Czapp added that the results demonstrate "real-world effectiveness" that can help prevent injuries and loss of life.
25A separate study recently provided similar results.
26That study centered on crashes involving pickup trucks.
27The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) carried out the study.
28It found that automatic emergency braking systems reduced rear crash rates for pickups by 43 percent.
29The study involved numerous pickup truck models and data from police-reported crashes in 25 states from 2017 to 2020.
30Jessica Cicchino led the IIHS research.
31She noted in a statement that pickups currently make up 1 of every 5 passenger vehicles on U.S. roads.
32Since these vehicles are larger and heavier, it can "make them dangerous to people in smaller vehicles or on foot," Cicchino said.
33She added that even though pickup trucks present more danger, "manufacturers have been slow to equip them with automatic emergency braking and other crash avoidance systems."
34Cicchino advised that "the faster automakers can make sure that every pickup they sell has this important safety feature, the better."
35Both new studies confirm the effectiveness of some of the latest driver assistance systems.
36They followed another recent study suggesting that many drivers using such tools often treat their vehicles like they are fully self-driving.
37That study, also carried out by the IIHS, warned that drivers who put too much trust in driver assist technologies are putting themselves at risk for serious accidents.
38A majority of drivers in the study said they were more likely to perform non-driving related activities, like eating or texting, while using the tools.
39I'm Bryan Lynn.
1A new study has found that tools designed to warn drivers and automatically stop vehicles in emergency situations helped reduce crashes by about 50 percent. 2The study is one of the largest of its kind to examine the effectiveness of driver assistance systems. 3The research was carried out by the Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety (PARTS). The organization is a partnership between automakers and the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 4For the study, numerous automobile manufacturers supplied vehicle equipment data on 93 different vehicle models from 2015 to 2020. This information was combined with data collected on more than 12 million police-reported crashes in 13 American states. 5One of the technologies studied is called forward collision warning. Collison is another word for crash. This system uses cameras, radar and other technology tools to gather information on safe driving distances. It warns drivers if their vehicle is getting too close to other vehicles ahead. 6Another related driver assistance tool is known as automatic emergency braking. This system is designed to identify possible crash dangers involving vehicles ahead. The tool can automatically slow or stop a vehicle if it senses the immediate danger of a crash. 7The PARTS group's study found that front to rear crashes were reduced by 49 percent when the striking vehicle had both forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking. The systems also reduced crashes resulting in injuries by 53 percent. 8The research also suggested automatic braking systems perform well in many situations, including poor weather and low light conditions. 9The study also found that vehicles equipped with technologies designed to keep vehicles in their driving lane "are effective in reducing single-vehicle crashes that lead to serious injuries." 10Many carmakers now include this kind of technology on some vehicle models. It is designed to automatically keep a vehicle centered in lanes of traffic. The study found these tools reduced crashes involving vehicles leaving the roadway by eight percent. 11Tim Czapp is an industry representative on the PARTS board. He also serves as a top executive at the Europe-based auto group Stellantis. He said in a statement that the latest study shows the driver assist technologies "can substantially reduce the number of crashes and improve safety outcomes." 12Czapp added that the results demonstrate "real-world effectiveness" that can help prevent injuries and loss of life. 13A separate study recently provided similar results. That study centered on crashes involving pickup trucks. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) carried out the study. It found that automatic emergency braking systems reduced rear crash rates for pickups by 43 percent. 14The study involved numerous pickup truck models and data from police-reported crashes in 25 states from 2017 to 2020. 15Jessica Cicchino led the IIHS research. She noted in a statement that pickups currently make up 1 of every 5 passenger vehicles on U.S. roads. 16Since these vehicles are larger and heavier, it can "make them dangerous to people in smaller vehicles or on foot," Cicchino said. She added that even though pickup trucks present more danger, "manufacturers have been slow to equip them with automatic emergency braking and other crash avoidance systems." 17Cicchino advised that "the faster automakers can make sure that every pickup they sell has this important safety feature, the better." 18Both new studies confirm the effectiveness of some of the latest driver assistance systems. They followed another recent study suggesting that many drivers using such tools often treat their vehicles like they are fully self-driving. 19That study, also carried out by the IIHS, warned that drivers who put too much trust in driver assist technologies are putting themselves at risk for serious accidents. A majority of drivers in the study said they were more likely to perform non-driving related activities, like eating or texting, while using the tools. 20I'm Bryan Lynn. 21Bryan Lynn wrote this story for VOA Learning English, based on reports from The Associated Press, the Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. 22_____________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24automatic - adj. something controlled using machines and not people 25brake - n. a part of a vehicle that helps it slow down or stop 26rear - n. the back part of something 27lane - n. part of a road that is separated from the other parts, usually by a painted line 28substantial - adj. large in amount 29outcome - adj. the result of something 30feature - n. a typical quality or important part of something 31_________________________________________________________________ 32What do you think of this story? We want to hear from you. We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 33Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.