Euro NCAP and ANCAP, the
independent safety bodies for Europe and Australasia, have announced the
advanced publication of effectiveness of low speed autonomous emergency braking
in real-world rear-end crashes in the online edition of the journal ‘Accident
Analysis & Prevention’. The publication reported among other things that
Low Speed AEB technology leads to a 38pc reduction in real-world rear-end
crashes. Also, it said there is no significant difference between urban and
rural crash benefits. It also mentioned that Meta-analysis is an effective
method for combining data from various countries.
The publication concluded that
Low Speed AEB technology needs widespread fitment for maximum benefits.
Autonomous Emergency Braking
is one of the more promising safety technologies that is becoming increasingly
common on modern passenger cars. The low speed option normally consists of an
automatic brake function that operates for speeds up to 30km/h or 50km/h.
Previous studies have predicted significant expected benefits of AEB technology
in low speed rear-end crashes but, so far, there has been little evidence that
they really work.
Real-world evaluations of
advanced safety systems are often limited by slow take-up rates, insufficient
crash data and lower crash rates of new, safer vehicles. Euro NCAP, with
support of ANCAP, has initiated the ‘Validating Vehicle Safety through
Meta-Analysis’ (VVSMA) group that brings together experts from governments,
industry, consumer and insurance organisations. The group pooled data from five
European countries plus Australia using a standard analysis format and a novel
prospective meta-analysis approach. Induced exposure methods were adopted to
control for any extraneous effects.
The findings showed a 38 pc
overall reduction in real-world, rear-end crashes for vehicles fitted with low
speed AEB compared to a sample of equivalent vehicles with no AEB. There was no
statistical difference found between urban (=60km/h) and rural (>60km/h)
speed zones.
Dr Anders Lie, the group
chairman from the Swedish Transport Administration, commented: “The
meta-analysis approach used in this analysis is a unique academic contribution
to the evaluation of vehicle safety technologies internationally and proved to
be reliable with robust findings. Clearly, at this level of effectiveness, low
speed AEB is potentially an important active safety technology and widespread
fitment through the vehicle fleet should be encouraged in the interest of
improved vehicle safety.”
Dr Michiel van Ratingen,
Secretary General of Euro NCAP, said: “These findings strongly support our
decision to make AEB technology a key discriminator in the safety rating of new
vehicles. Through VVSMA, we will continue to monitor the effectiveness in
reducing real world crashes of the advanced systems that are promoted in order
to validate and improve the overall star rating.”
Source: Euro NCAP