Better Education About Car Accident Avoidance Technology is Needed

Miami car accident attorney Joseph Lipsky is a proponent for advances in car and truck technology which are intended to prevent accidents and limit injuries. This is why he is concerned that too many motorists are unware and not properly educated about the intent and effectiveness of the automatic emergency braking systems which are increasingly showing up as either standard equipment or options on new cars and trucks. As demonstrated by a recent study from AAA, researchers learned that while many people who are looking to purchase a new car have a general understanding of newer car accident avoidance technologies, many potential buyers remain unaware of many of the devices which have recently been installed in cars for the purpose of preventing car accidents versus those vehicles which only have technology intended to lessen the damage done when a crash occurs.

The AAA believes automobile manufacturers and car dealers need to make a concerted effort to educate consumers as to the why and how concerning these devices, especially because their inclusion in most vehicles will be rapidly increasing thanks to federal requirements. In fact, the majority of vehicle manufacturers will install pre-accident sensing automatic braking technology in all vehicles by the turn of the decade. Pre-accident automatic braking, in combination with lane assistance and adaptive cruise control, will enable newer cars the ability to make life saving decisions much faster than an average driver is capable of making.

It is the hope and expectation of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the accident avoidance technology will significantly lessen the alarming trend of rising car accident related wrongful deaths. As personal injury attorney Joseph Lipsky previously reported, according to the National Safety Council, 2016 looks to be the most deadly for traffic accident deaths in over ten years. Sadly, more than 19,000 people needlessly died through the end of June. In fact, in an effort to expedite the reduction in these fatalities, the NHTSA obtained a promise from most vehicle manufacturers to include car accident avoidance automatic braking more than three years sooner than regulations require.

Those shopping for a new car need to understand that each manufacturer’s version of automatic braking is different. As an example, while Volvo has had automatic brakes as a standard feature since 2014, their vehicle will stop so long as the vehicle is traveling less than 17 m.p.h. when it senses a hazard. At speeds in excess of 17 m.p.h. the car will only be able to slow down in an effort to reduce damage and personal injuries. Each manufacturer has different accident prevention or avoidance technology and terms. Because of the differences from manufacturer to manufacturer, Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyer Joseph Lipsky reminds motorists need to educate themselves on what is installed on vehicles they are considering purchasing.

Of course, we remind our fellow motorists not to let these advances in technology cause you to have a false sense of safety. Automatic braking, like all other machine based technology, can malfunction and fail to prevent a crash. Consequently, motorists should remain ever vigilant while driving.