Emergency braking is catching fire in America

One of the most important technologies in vehicle safety, Emergency Braking or AEB, has become a mandatory feature on every zero kilometer model sold in the US market from September 2022. But from time to time it also becomes a target here. Special review does not work as claimed.

According to the American Automobile Association, the 20-year-old technology helps in some cases but fails in others. The association went to the evidence trail to prove it.

He took 4 models of Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Ford Explorer and Chevrolet Equinox in 2022, equipped them with the item and tested them under certain conditions.

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First she simulated rear-end collisions in which the vehicle in front suddenly brakes and stops. At low speeds, the system is fully operational, avoiding all collisions without the driver stepping on the brakes. At a speed of 50 km/h, the device avoided 17 out of 20 collisions. In the 3 times he fails to avoid the crash, he reduces the force of the impact by 86%.

In tests above 65 kmph, the result is more worrying. Out of 20 simulations, only 6 were completely avoided. There was an impact on 14, the result of which the association had already suspected: the device was efficient only at low speeds.

The association decided to undertake an even more important experiment: simulating fatal accidents. Collisions at intersections or left turns on two-lane roads in the United States are two common scenarios. The latter has a nickname in the US: the T-bone crash, a reference to the T-shape that vehicles have after a crash.

Test results can’t be bad. The equipment could not predict any crash – therefore, it did not slow down – and did not even activate the audible collision warnings, which are a complementary measure to reduce the impact, in which the driver tries to brake.

Despite the results, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety points out that AEB has halved accidents since it hit the market. The American Automobile Association will think little and charge for the improvement of parts so that all kinds of accidents can be avoided in the future.