The European Commission plans to make Autonomous Emergency Braking systems (AEBs) a mandatory requirement in all new vehicles on the Continent by 2014. These systems typically use one or a combination of radar, lidar or video-recognition technologies to measure the distances between vehicles, warn drivers if they get too close, and to then engage the brakes if the driver fails to take any action.
Research led by the Commission found that such systems could reduce road traffic accidents by 27 per cent, saving some 8,000 lives a year.
Michiel van Ratingen, the Secretary General of Europe's New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) said, “We don’t want to force them [car makers] into this immediately, but we’ve made it very clear that the best way to ensure a five-star rating from 2014 is to have AEB on the vehicle.”
It's estimated that the systems could also save the economy between €5 billion (US$6.1 billion) and €8 billion (US$9.9 billion) a year in crash and accident-related costs.
“Our studies indicate that the resulting reduction in congestion due to accidents would represent an economic value of about €100 million (US$123.8 million) in Germany alone," said the European Commission's Phillipe Jean.
Commercial vehicles will be required to have the systems outfitted by November of 2013, with passenger vehicles likely to follow soon after in 2014.
According to Euro NCAP, 79 per cent of vehicles available for purchase today in Europe are not AEB equipped.
Euro NCAP has also said that currently AEB is found mostly in premium branded vehicles such as the Volvo XC60, but the systems are increasingly being optioned on higher-volume vehicles like the Mazda CX-5 and Ford Focus.
Euro NCAP provides an overview of AEB systems in the video below.
Sources: Transport Research News, Euro NCAP
Sure, it has it's place for safety but how does it affect the perpetual distracted driver in front of you?
The AEB in the Prius also activates the seatbelts, airbags, fuel shutoff etc, in preparation for a collision, before it happens. The AEB system also works in the dark, and when visbility is poor ie fog/rain. It once activated when a kangaroo jumped out of the darkness from the side of the road, the seatbelts pulling us back into the seat, and the car doing an emergency brake, all before I had a chance to get my foot on the brake. It's like being a passenger just holding the steering wheel!! Luckily the kangaroo kept on jumping across the road and the AEB released the brake and we continued on. It also recharged the seatbelt tensioning system with a whirring sound.
The combination of adaptive cruise control allows for even more comfortable and safer freeway travelling, as it ensures that your vehicle has enough stopping distance behind the vehicle in front of you, plus it is much smoother because it actually knows the speed of the vehicle merging into your lane, and compensates accordingly. A normal driver cannot accurately adjust the speed to that of the car in front, and typically only brakes if the car in front shows it's brake lights, which is often too late to respond.
Whilst in ECO mode it also smooths out acceleration, and likewise reduces the acceleration of the vehicles following, which helps save fuel even in the vehicle behind. Plus by keeping the right distance it prevents/reduces stop and go traffic. A German study showed that adaptive cruise in 15% of vehicles would actually reduce +85% of stop and go traffic. All up AEB and adaptive cruise should be legislated for all vehicles, including trucks.
Lets say this system costs ~€1000 per car and we will have ~100.000.000 cars in Europe. Total cost: €100 BILLION. That is €12.5 MILLION/life. And what were the economic benefits again? A couple hundred million for the entirety of Europe?