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Mon 3rd May | 2021

Drive for Fairness Campaign Calls for Advanced Safety Features in New Vehicles

Car Accidents Personal Injury Product liability BY

Despite having potentially life-saving technology available, many vehicle manufacturers fail to include advanced safety features in their automobiles.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 40% of new vehicles are expected to have two advanced safety options, Forward Collision Warning and Automatic Braking Systems, as a standard feature. Advanced safety systems can prevent or reduce the severity of car accidents. The most popular safety systems include forward collision warning (FCW), automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning (LDW), adaptive cruise control (ACC), and pedestrian detection. However, vehicle manufacturers make the features an expensive add-on option costing consumers thousands of dollars.

At Clark Fountain, our expert injury lawyers have represented victims injured in every type of auto accident including head-on and rear-end collisions, pedestrian accidents, and vehicle rollovers.

We believe that collision avoidance systems should be available to all drivers. We encourage you to join the movement by signing the Drive for Fairness Petition by Consumer Reports. If you’re in the market for a new vehicle, we suggest adding a safety system.

Types of Advanced Safety Systems Available

According to Consumer Reports, vehicles manufactured between 2016 and 2021 may include one of the following advanced safety features:

Collision Avoidance Systems

Forward Collision Warning System (FCW) – this safety feature detects a possible collision while traveling forward and alerts the driver of the threat. Some FCW systems may include an object or pedestrian detection.

Lane Departure Warning System (LDW) – this feature will monitor the vehicle’s position within a driving lane and alerts the driver as the vehicle approaches or crosses lane markers.

Adaptive Cruise Control System (ACC) – this feature adjusts the vehicle’s speed to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead.

Pedestrian Detection System (PD) – this feature detects pedestrians, then issues a warning before triggering the automatic emergency braking.

Blind-Spot Warning System (BSW) – this feature detects vehicles to rear in adjacent lanes while driving and alerts the driver to their presence.

Rear Cross-Traffic Warning System (RCTW): this feature detects vehicles approaching from the side and rear end of the vehicle while reverse then alerts the driver.

Braking Systems

Automatic Emergency Braking System (AEB) – this feature detects potential collisions while traveling forward, provides a forward collision warning, and automatically applies the brakes to avoid the impact.

High-Speed Automatic Emergency Braking System (HSAEB) – when traveling at highway speeds, this feature will automatically apply the brakes to reduce the threat of a collision.

Dynamic Brake Systems (DBS) – If a driver does not brake hard enough to avoid a collision, this feature should sense the threat then apply the brakes automatically to prevent a crash.

How Collision-Avoidance Systems Work

Collision avoidance systems rely on sensors, cameras, lasers, and short and long-range radar. These technologies allow your car to “see” what is happening on the road, then your vehicle’s computer processes the information and prompts action when necessary.

Data from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and Forbes suggest that crash avoidance technologies have real-world benefits. In 2020, FCWs lowered front-to-rear crashes (rear-end accidents) by 27%, and systems with FCW and AEB lowered these types of accidents by 50%. Similarly, LDWs and BSM lowered crashes by 11% and 14% respectively.

Auto experts expect advanced crash avoidance technologies to become more common, but some worry that drivers will disable systems with too many warnings. Other critics worry that drivers will rely too much on technology and not enough on safe, focused driving.

In any case, equipping cars with technology to avoid collisions is the next movement in vehicle design. When purchasing a new car, you should consider adding one of these safety systems. Drivers should also monitor their vehicles for recalls and be wary of defective auto parts or negligent vehicle repairs.

Injured? Receive a Free Consultation with our Expert Accident Lawyers

At Clark, Fountain, La Vista, Littky-Rubin & Whitman, our firm has a history of successfully litigating complex cases against a multitude of automobile manufacturers. Our attorneys have more than 200 years of combined litigation experience and we have secured significant verdicts and settlements for injured victims. Call us at or contact us online to schedule your free consultation.