Consumer Reports analysis claims modern safety tech could cut road deaths in half if they...

Shawn Knight

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The big picture: Modern safety technology could reduce US road deaths by half if they were implemented as standard equipment on all new vehicles. In total, between 16,800 and 20,500 lives could be spared each year if modern tech came installed on all US light-duty motor vehicles.

According to the latest analysis from Consumer Reports, roughly 11,800 lives could be saved annually by implementing automatic emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind spot warning and pedestrian detection systems. An additional 1,300 lives could be saved through widespread adoption of vehicle-to-vehicle communications technology, we’re told, while as many as 3,700 to 7,400 deaths could be avoided through the use of drunk driving prevention technology.

According to Consumer Reports, 36,560 people died in crashes on US roads in 2018. A full 2.5 million more sustained injuries, and the total economic cost of crashes was somewhere around $800 billion.

The report comes as the House of Representatives prepares to vote on the Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2) later this week. Among other things, the bill includes provisions for requiring new vehicles to come standard with advanced drunk driving prevention technology and proven crash avoidance systems. It also calls for the Department of Transportation to modernize its five-star safety ratings system to make it more useful for consumers.

Interestingly enough, Consumer Reports also notes that there is not sufficient evidence to support claims that autonomous vehicles are proven to save lives. As such, William Wallace, manager of safety policy at Consumer Reports, said Congress and NHTSA’s first priority should be the lifesaving technologies we have in hand today and making sure they are in every new car ASAP.

Image credit: Peshkova, Photo Spirit

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11,800 lives could be saved.

Because America's legislators are big on major reform to save lives recently. ?

The fact you can't tell what specific issue I might be talking about speaks volumes.
 
So cars are gonna get even more expensive, because all these costs are being passed onto the consumer. Something as simple as a cracked bumper is now a $3000 repair. Lane keeping systems are annoying as hell, jerking the car back and forth trying to stay in the lines, wrestling control from the driver. AEB hitting the brakes at total random resulting in a car accident. People becoming overreliant on cameras and sensors and then backing into something when the sensors fall out of alignment. A huge christmas tree of lights when it snows because all the sensors are covered.

The passive tech is great, I'm all for it, but the active saftey stuff is too prone to failure, and it should be an option because all this saftey tech is bloating the cost of cars. Cars today have too many distractions and dongles sold as "saftey". You know what would help saftey? Get rid of that big distracting screen in the middle of the car. Hell while I'm dreaming makes cars stick shift again, a lot harder to use your phone while driving if you have to do things by hand.

My cars are from 05 and 91. The 91 doesnt have any saftey, no crumple zones, no airbags. The 05 has an airbag. Neither have ABS. I've survived all this time without all this saftey tech and honestly, while I am not against having the passive stuff, I'm not running out to spend 30K+ on a new car, especially when all these sensors (which are not produced for long after a car is discontinued, so good luck on parts in 10 years) and computer DRM makes parts for modern cars stupid expensive compared oty my 05, let alone the 91.
 
So cars are gonna get even more expensive, because all these costs are being passed onto the consumer. Something as simple as a cracked bumper is now a $3000 repair. Lane keeping systems are annoying as hell, jerking the car back and forth trying to stay in the lines, wrestling control from the driver. AEB hitting the brakes at total random resulting in a car accident. People becoming overreliant on cameras and sensors and then backing into something when the sensors fall out of alignment. A huge christmas tree of lights when it snows because all the sensors are covered.

The passive tech is great, I'm all for it, but the active saftey stuff is too prone to failure, and it should be an option because all this saftey tech is bloating the cost of cars. Cars today have too many distractions and dongles sold as "saftey". You know what would help saftey? Get rid of that big distracting screen in the middle of the car. Hell while I'm dreaming makes cars stick shift again, a lot harder to use your phone while driving if you have to do things by hand.

My cars are from 05 and 91. The 91 doesnt have any saftey, no crumple zones, no airbags. The 05 has an airbag. Neither have ABS. I've survived all this time without all this saftey tech and honestly, while I am not against having the passive stuff, I'm not running out to spend 30K+ on a new car, especially when all these sensors (which are not produced for long after a car is discontinued, so good luck on parts in 10 years) and computer DRM makes parts for modern cars stupid expensive compared oty my 05, let alone the 91.


Cars will get more expensive initially, but ultimately the manufacturers will figure out how to make those parts cheaper, more efficient and better.

Take a look at a 2020 Hyundai Sonata.

A fully loaded Sonata costs 1/3rd what a BMW 7 series costs and comes with standard features that woulc have cost you over $100,000 10 years ago.

 
I believe that new safety tech can cut number of all incidents way better than what they claim.

And because of that, car insurance will become much more of a rip off.
 
They could double those saved lives if they got rid of all the distracting junk in the new technology as well as implement a blocking system that made cell phones unusable while the engine is running and the car is moving ..... what a concept!!!
 
Something as simple as a cracked bumper is now a $3000 repair. Lane keeping systems are annoying as hell, jerking the car back and forth trying to stay in the lines, wrestling control from the driver. AEB hitting the brakes at total random resulting in a car accident. People becoming overreliant on cameras and sensors and then backing into something when the sensors fall out of alignment. A huge christmas tree of lights when it snows because all the sensors are covered.

Not calling you out or anything ... but did you or anyone you know experience all of those defects ? Because what you're describing is very strange and unlikely behavior for a car with any / all of those features.
 
The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Nearly 390,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving. 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving. So what we need to do at the very least is block cell phone use in all vehicles while the vehicle is in driving mode.
 
The National Safety Council reports that cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year. Nearly 390,000 injuries occur each year from accidents caused by texting while driving. 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the United States is caused by texting and driving. So what we need to do at the very least is block cell phone use in all vehicles while the vehicle is in driving mode.
Or develop some kind of common sense and don't use the phone while driving, we really need some education about defensive and safety driving.
 
Hows about no and you learn to drive properly instead
1: Stop doing anything else other than keeping your eyes on the road while driving
 
All the tech, none of the common sense.
Roads and traffic P me off. I hate people.
I believe if you have more than 2 children, you leave behind an extra mouth to feed.
Another home/ car/ and mouth to feed, more resources gone, and more cars on the road.
With more people means more housing, and these days specially here in the UK, people can build what they like, and usually don't add off road parking. Meaning you have cars parked on the road, making accidents more likely.
More chance to hit a parked car, more chance to hit one in rush hour, more chance to hit pedestrians, specially kids, in built up areas.
More people/cars and the likelihood of someone having an accident will rise.
We don't build straight roads, we build around towns and houses no matter how more efficient it would be to go, that dude needs to move house its for the greater good. Which may not be needed if we cull the populus.
We don't build flat roads, even though we could, and this one would make more sense now with electric cars. Surely any uphill work is gonna drain its life, and flat roads would be better, bore through hillsides, in a straight line.
But then electric cars damage the environment sourcing the battery materials. Which when your bordering on a massive global disaster, doesn't seem the smartest thing to do.
We would have less accidents, if we just took Joe Public off the roads. Monorails, trains, public transport improved, improved infrastructures.
Electric vehicles only for service vehicles / delivery, disabled, services - police, fire, ambulance, care.
Films from the 70's had better ideas for cities of the future.
 
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