Can New Auto Technology Prevent Truck Accidents?
New automotive technology looks promising to prevent car accidents. Collision avoidance and lane departure systems are becoming standard features on many vehicles sold in the United States. These technologies promise to prevent the ‘human error’ factor involved in most car accidents.Can these same technologies prevent accidents involving large semi-trucks? The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has tested some of these technologies on commercial trucks with great results!If we look at causes of truck accidents involving human error, the benefits of these technologies become apparent. Lane departure warning systems can alert sleepy commercial truckers if they begin to depart from the road. Collision avoidance systems can automatically brake for tired commercial truck drivers. Another new technology can automatically steer during emergency situations.Collision avoidance systems are among the most exciting of the new technologies being considered for use on commercial trucks. This technology uses radar systems to detect moving, stopped and stationary objects. Collision avoidance systems also use audible and visual warnings to alert drivers.Do collision avoidance systems work? After all, we wrote about a fatal accident involving a Tesla Model S several weeks ago. The vehicle had Autopilot (which incorporates collision avoidance technology) active at the time of the crash. However, the collision avoidance systems used by Tesla’s vehicles are different than what commercial trucks may use.Testing conducted by NHTSA shows collision avoidance systems on trucks may be highly effective at preventing accidents.
NHTSA Tests Collision Avoidance Technology on Commercial Trucks
NHTSA equipped 150 Class 8 tractor-trailers with collision avoidance systems. To test the effectiveness of these systems, NHTSA recorded results for one year. More than 165 drivers were involved in the study.The data involved 6,000 collision avoidance system activations, 3 million miles and 110,000 hours of driving! According to the results published by NHTSA in its report, Field Study of Heavy-Vehicle Crash Avoidance Systems: Final Report, none of the 6,000 activations resulted in collisions.So there you have it, these technologies can at the very least help to prevent truck accidents. If we consider that drowsy driving and driver inattention are a major cause of truck accidents, the benefits of collision avoidance technology are obvious. Some companies have plans to utilize collision avoidance and lane departure systems. Volvo claims it will use both on its VN series trucks.NHTSA statistics show that 3,903 people died and another 111,000 were injured in truck accidents during 2014. New technologies on trucks may greatly reduce these numbers and make driving much safer for everyone.The Texas truck accident attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC, will hold negligent commercial carriers accountable when they cause accidents.