‘These results suggest that some automakers need to tweak their pedestrian automatic emergency braking systems’
High-visibility clothing and reflective strips designed to keep pedestrians and cyclists safe may actually render them invisible to modern car safety technology, according to a new study.
The research, conducted by the US-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), has revealed that automatic emergency braking systems in some new vehicles fail to detect people wearing reflective gear.
The findings raise serious concerns about the effectiveness of safety technology that has been mandatory on all new cars sold in the UK and EU since 2022.
Researchers tested three 2023 vehicles – a Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5 and Subaru Forester – all equipped with automatic emergency braking systems.
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The study raised concerns about the viability of car technology when detecting pedestrians and cyclistsThe tests involved a crash test dummy dressed in various outfits, including black clothing, black clothing with reflective strips, a reflective jacket with black trousers, and white clothing.Each vehicle was driven at 25mph whilst the dummy was moved to simulate crossing the road and conducted under different lighting conditions to assess how the vehicles’ safety systems would respond.The Honda and Mazda vehicles hit the dummy wearing reflective strips in every test, without any reduction in speed. The CR-V also failed to slow down when the dummy wore a reflective jacket, regardless of lighting conditions.The Subaru Forester performed significantly better, successfully stopping […]
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