Advanced safety technologies make new vehicles in Texas and around the country significantly less likely to become involved in a crash, according to a study released by General Motors. The study was conducted with the help of researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute.
For the study, researchers took VIN numbers from 3.8 million GM vehicles manufactured between 2013 and 2017 and cross-referenced them with police-reported collision data from 10 states. The VIN numbers allowed them to tell which vehicles had advanced safety systems and which ones didn’t. They found that automatic emergency braking systems decreased rear-end crashes by 46% and reverse automatic braking systems decreased back-out accidents by 81%. They also found that active lane control systems with lane departure warnings decreased lane-change accidents by 20% and blind-spot monitors and lane-change alerts decreased collisions by 26%. In addition, the researchers found that the more automated a safety system was, the more it reduced crashes and fatalities.
The findings back up a similar study published by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety in June. That one found that automatic emergency braking systems decreased front-facing rear-end collisions by 50%. It also found that rear automatic braking systems with parking sensors and a rear view camera decreased accidents by 78%.
Rear-end collisions can cause serious injuries to occupants of the vehicle that was hit. Victims of rear-end accidents might need to undergo lengthy and expensive medical care and treatment. They might find it advisable to have the help of an attorney who has experience in motor vehicle accident litigation when they are seeking compensation for the losses that they have incurred.