New Car Safety Features and Their Impact on Ohio Car Accident Cases
Imagine you’re driving on a busy highway and notice a wall of red brake lights from traffic congestion up ahead. Before you can even brake, your car automatically slows down without you doing anything. This scenario is now the reality for many drivers. Newer cars are coming with ever-more impressive and revolutionary features like Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warnings, Forward Collision Warnings, and more, all of which can enhance road safety and reduce car accidents.
But what if ADAS technology that is meant to enhance protection fails? Accidents are, of course, still occurring even with such advanced features. However, the question of who’s at fault in these circumstances becomes a little murkier.
Let’s explore new car safety features and how they’ve impacted Ohio car accident cases.
New car safety features
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 38,680 people died in car accidents in 2020—the highest figure since 2007. This figure was 7.2% higher than 2019, with 36,096 deaths.
The global automotive industry is progressively striving for more and more secure cars. Earlier protective measures included seatbelts and airbags to reduce injuries in accidents. These were a driver’s first line of defense in an accident for many years. However, with the advancement of technology, new car safety features have been incrementally added to reduce accidents and the impact of injuries in collisions.
Car safety features like backup cameras enable us to be more aware of any pedestrians or low-lying objects in our rear blindspots; lane departure warnings give audio and visual warnings when drivers are changing lanes; and newer Automatic Emergency Braking can slow down our car or stop it altogether when it senses objects too close.
Here are a few of the newer car safety features that should help to reduce car accidents.
1. Forward collision warning
Forward Collision Warning (FCW) and Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) are two advanced features that work together to warn the driver of a possible collision.
FCW is a safety feature that alerts the driver when a potential forward collision is detected. It uses sensors such as cameras, LiDAR, or radar to monitor the road and calculate the distance between your car and the one in front of you. Suppose the FCW detects an imminent collision due to a congested highway or your speed in relation to other objects. In that case, it provides visual, auditory, or haptic alerts (such as a vibrating seat) to prompt the driver to take action.
Benefits of FCW
- Provides extra reaction time to the driver
- Reduces the risk of front-end collision
- Enhances overall road safety
2. Automatic emergency braking (AEB)
AEB is another revolutionary car safety feature that goes a step further from FCW. It sets automatic brakes in motion to reduce speed if a driver cannot react quickly. AEB also uses cameras, radar, and LiDAR to detect road conditions ahead of time and help prevent or reduce the impact of a crash.
How AEB works
- Detection: The sensors continuously detect the road for pedestrians, cyclists, passengers, etc.
- Warning: In the case of a possible collision, it gives a visual, auditory, or haptic alert to the driver to react in time.
- Braking assistance: If the driver does not react in time, it applies automatic brakes to slow down or stop the vehicle.
Types of AEB
- Frontal AEB: Detects vehicles or obstacles in front of the car
- Rear AEB: Helps prevent collisions while reversing
- Pedestrian/Cyclist AEB: Specially designed to detect passengers or cyclists and apply emergency brakes to stop the vehicle
Benefits of AEB
- Reduces the risk of rear-end collisions.
- Can prevent pedestrian-related accidents.
- Enhances overall vehicle safety.
3. Lane departure warning
Lane Departure Warning, or LDW, is an advanced driver assistance system that prevents unintended lane departures and enhances road safety. It warns the driver when the vehicle unintentionally drifts out of its lane without using a turn signal.
How LDW works
- It uses cameras and sensors to monitor lane markings.
- If the vehicle drifts, it provides a visual, auditory, or haptic warning (such as steering wheel or seat vibrations).
- It does not take corrective action—only alerts the driver.
The primary benefit of LDW is that it helps prevent accidents due to distractions or drowsiness.
4. Lane keeping assist (LKA)
LKA is an automatic feature that helps steer a vehicle back in its lane if it drifts outside lane lines without signaling.
How LKA works
- It uses cameras and sensors to track lane markings.
- If the car drifts, it provides a warning (like LDW).
- If no corrective action is taken, it gently steers the vehicle back into its lane.
The primary benefit of LKA is that it helps prevent lane drifting and potential side-swiping or more substantial accidents.
5. Backup cameras
A backup camera is a mounted camera located in the car’s rear end. It relays video of the area behind the vehicle when it is in reverse. Backup cameras are mandatory car safety features in new and upcoming vehicles.
How backup cameras work
The backup camera turns on when a car is in reverse. It displays a mirror-view image of the area behind the vehicle, which the driver can see on a screen in front of them.
Benefits of backup cameras
- Reduced blind spots: This enables drivers to be aware of objects, vehicles, or passengers that would otherwise be invisible to them.
- Enhanced safety: It helps drivers react quickly to objects behind their vehicle or that are nearby and low-lying.
- Reduces accidents: Reduces reversing car and truck accidents.
6. Blind-spot monitoring
Blind spot monitoring is an advanced car safety feature that uses radar sensors and cameras to detect other cars, objects, and passengers in blind spots. An audible alarm and a light alert the driver via the side view mirror or the dashboard of objects in blind spots.
How blind spot monitoring works
Radar sensors and cameras located on the sides and rear of the car monitor the area around it to detect if a vehicle enters a blind spot. A light on the dashboard or side mirrors turns on to warn the driver if any vehicle enters their car’s blind spots.
Benefits of blind spot monitoring
- Reduces side and rear-end collisions
- Allows driver to change lanes securely
7. Adaptive cruise control
Another ADAS car safety feature is adaptive cruise control (ACC), which automatically adjusts your car’s speed to maintain a safe following distance from the vehicle ahead. Unlike traditional cruise control, which keeps the same speed, ACC slows down or speeds up based on traffic conditions.
How ACC works
- Detection: ACC uses cameras and radar sensors to detect vehicle speeds in front of you.
- Speed adjustment: If the car ahead slows down, ACC reduces your car’s speed to maintain a safe following distance.
- Automatic acceleration: When traffic clears, ACC returns to the preset speed without driver intervention.
- Stop & go: Some higher-end ACC systems completely stop your car when the traffic is not moving and then restart when the traffic starts moving.
Benefits of ACC
- Reduces driver fatigue during lengthier drives
- Reduces tailgating
- Enhances fuel efficiency with adjustable acceleration and braking
It should be noted that drivers with ACC-equipped vehicles must still remain alert and ready to take control because ACC does not work well in rough weather conditions like fog, rain, snow, etc. Also, ACC cannot always detect stationary objects, which can lead to collisions if the driver is not alert.
Car safety features impact on car accidents
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), new cars are continually being upgraded and redesigned to include better and better smart features for improved safety. However, the NHTSA estimates that accident fatalities decreased only 1.7%—and injuries only 4.6%—from 2021 to 2022. This has left many consumers wondering about the real value of newer car safety technologies. Still, statistics show that many of these new features are improving road safety.
Let’s look a little closer at how advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) have helped reduce car accidents over the past decade:
- Blind spot monitoring systems have been proven to reduce accidents during lane changes by 14% and injuries resulting from such accidents by 23%.
- Rearview camera results show that they have reduced back-up accidents by 42%.
- FCW & AEB systems have also been successful in reducing 50% of rear-end crashes.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that ADAS should never replace driver attentiveness. Relying too much on these systems or becoming complacent can actually increase the risk of accidents instead of preventing them.
If you have been in a car accident, get medical assistance immediately and then reach out to an experienced car accident lawyer for legal help. New advanced car safety features actually make car accident claims and cases more complex and challenging than they once were, and accident lawyers are better equipped to smoothly navigate these issues.
Understanding shared responsibility and complex liability
New ADAS car safety features fundamentally reshape how liability is asserted in car accident cases, considering that multiple parties are involved. If a system failure or a fault in the car contributed to an accident, liability can extend beyond the driver to include manufacturers, the engineer, and even the maintenance party.
The courts now need to assess if the driver remained negligent despite continuous warnings from the alert systems and safety interventions. Plaintiffs might argue that a system failure, a default in setting, inadequate testing, or failure to update the system contributed to the accident.
As ADAS technology becomes more widespread, lawyers and court systems are striving to keep pace with evolving legal standards. Industry regulations require considering whether manufacturers meet quality metrics and whether system limitations have been communicated effectively to consumers.
Modern vehicles equipped with ADAS technology come with a black box that records all system proceedings and driver behavior. This data is the crux of many car accident lawsuits, as it can help lawyers and judges understand and reconstruct the incident to a remarkable degree of accuracy. However, interpreting this data requires specialized expertise, and trying to do it without experienced legal guidance can greatly complicate your litigation.
What to do in case of a car accident in Ohio
ADAS, such as Forward Collision Warning, backup cameras, Lane Departure Warning, and other technology, are designed to enhance road safety and prevent severe injuries in case of collisions. Simply put, these car safety features help drivers drive safely. However, some drivers become overly reliant on ADAS, resulting in lowered awareness on the road and an increased likelihood of accidents. Further, ADAS can malfunction and cause drivers to make dangerous maneuvers. There are even cases when manufacturers don’t properly educate consumers about ADAS in their vehicles, causing misunderstanding or heightening the potential for accidents.
If you or a loved one has been in a car accident in Ohio while driving an ADAS-equipped vehicle, then finding knowledgeable legal help is crucial. ADAS technology can present complex legal challenges, including the complication of liability determination. Car accident lawyers, such as Soroka & Associates, are well-equipped and prepared for the challenges these cases pose. Let our legal team handle the complexities and the paperwork while you focus on recovery. Call our law office today at 614-358-6525 or fill out our online contact form for a free case evaluation.