The European safety organization Euro NCAP has announced the introduction of a new test to ascertain the effectiveness of pedestrian detection and autonomous braking and collision avoidance systems from different manufacturers. The new Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) Pedestrian tests are based on real-world scenarios and utilize new life-like, moving dummies in a controlled environment.
Euro NCAP will begin testing vehicle responses to pedestrians in simulations of three common urban scenarios: adults walking in front of the vehicle, adults running in front of the vehicle, and a child stepping out from behind a parked car. To score well on the test, the vehicle should prevent collisions at speeds up to 40 km/h (25 mph). At speeds above 40 km/h and below 60 km/h (25-37 mph), the vehicle should be able to reduce speed to less than 40 km/h before impact to make it more survivable.
These tests, says Euro NCAP, are the first in the world to address autonomous emergency systems and pedestrian impacts, and the performance of such systems in vehicles that offer them will be reflected in the organization's ratings from next year.
"Many new cars now offer some form of AEB system that can help prevent car-to-car collisions, but only some are able to detect pedestrians, but only some are also able to detect pedestrians," says Euro NCAP Secretary General Dr. Michiel van Ratingen. "By checking the results on Euro NCAP's website, consumers will be able to verify manufacturers' safety claims and choose the right AEB option."
In 2014, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists accounted for 47 percent of Europe's 26,000 road deaths and for most of the 100,000 permanently disabling injuries caused in traffic accidents. It's estimated that heavy proliferation of autonomous braking systems capable of detecting pedestrians would prevent one in five fatal pedestrian-related collisions.
Most autonomous braking systems are activated through radar, cameras, lasers, or a combination of these. Euro NCAP began assessing pedestrian collision safety since 1997, resulting in significant automotive design changes to mitigate injuries from auto-to-pedestrian impacts. It began assessing AEB systems in 2013 and plans to add cyclist test scenarios to its AEB testing in 2018, with crossing, junction and head-on test scenarios to be added in 2020.
The pedestrian detection testing is demonstrated in the video below.
Source: Euro NCAP
