A group of 10 automakers has announced an agreement that could reduce car crashes in New Jersey and across the United States by up to 20 percent. The deal, which was announced March 17, will make automatic emergency braking systems available in most U.S. vehicles by 2022.
Last September, the group reached a deal in principle with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to include auto braking technology in their new vehicles. The involved automakers, which include Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen, produce the vast majority of light vehicles in the U.S.
Automatic emergency braking systems use computers to gauge a car’s distance from other vehicles and automatically engages the brakes if a driver does not respond to an impending collision quickly enough. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety believes the technology could reduce all auto accidents by 20 percent. Each year, over 500,000 people are injured and around 1,700 people are killed by rear-end collisions in the U.S. Experts say that automatic braking technology could prevent or reduce the severity of the 87 percent of rear-end collisions that are caused by human error.
Car accidents cause thousands of serious injuries in New Jersey each year. Anyone injured in an auto wreck caused by another driver may wish to discuss his or her case with a qualified Cherry Hill Personal Injury Lawyer. Depending on the details of the incident, it may be possible to prove that the at-fault driver is legally liable for a victim’s injuries. A successful lawsuit could bring needed financial compensation that helps a victim pay for current and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, lost wages and other damages.
For more information call Folkman Law at 856-354-9444, or contact us online.
Source: Insurance Journal, “Automatic Braking, Due by 2022 in U.S. Cars, Could Prevent 20% of All Crashes,” David Shepardson, March 17, 2016
