Autonomous emergency braking could cut road traffic accident claims
Posted: March 22, 2014
Posted in: Road Traffic Accidents
The Association for British Insurers (ABI) has called to have all new cars produced in the UK to be fitted with autonomous emergency braking (AEB), with the belief that personal injury claims could be cut by almost a fifth. Research recently carried out by The Motor Insurance Repair and Research Centre (Thatcham) found that AEB could reduce personal injury claims following road traffic accidents by around 18%. Despite this evidence, only 23% of cars manufactured in the UK are fitted with AEB as standard or an option.
The technology uses lasers, radar and optical sensors to identify other vehicles and pedestrians, automatically operating the brakes if the driver fails to respond within a certain time frame. This prevents the collision entirely or lessens the impact in more severe circumstances. Thatcham’s statistics highlighted that 75% of road traffic accidents occur at speeds lower than 20mph and more than 400,000 whiplash claims are made every year in the UK.
6,000 pedestrians killed or seriously injured
Scott Pendry, ABI’s motor policy advisor, said that AEB is a major advance in road safety technology. He continued: “universal fitment of AEB is key to achieving a meaningful downward trend in crashes. The technology is with us right now and has huge potential to save lives.”
Around 6,000 pedestrians are killed or seriously injured on the UK’s roads every year, with pedestrian casualties accounting for 23% of all killed and seriously injured.
The ABI have also suggested measures such as graduated driver licensing (GDL), providing drivers with the opportunity to build confidence in low risk conditions.
If you have been affected by a road traffic accident, and are looking to claim compensation, please contact us.
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