Many people purchase vehicles based on the safety features provided by the manufacturer. A common safety feature in recent years is automatic braking systems that are supposed to hit the brakes on your vehicle when it approaches an obstacle. One important purpose of this technology is to prevent pedestrian accidents.
However, AAA recently conducted research on four different 2019 vehicle models sold by Tesla, Chevrolet, Toyota, and Honda. The research involved a dummy walking in front of a moving car and seeing whether the automatic sensory and braking systems would safely stop the car before hitting the dummy. The results indicate that you cannot always trust braking systems to protect pedestrians from collisions.
Specifically, the braking system tended to fail under the following circumstances:
- At night
- When pedestrians were of small size
- When the car was driving at faster speeds
Considering that many pedestrian crashes happen at night and involve children of smaller sizes, the results of the study are concerning.
Distracted Drivers Can Hit Pedestrians
Too many drivers feel a false sense of security due to automatic braking systems and other safety features. This can cause drivers to pay less attention to what they are doing or not worry about taking their eyes off the road for a few seconds. However, every driver should know that they should never fully rely on technology to prevent accidents, but they should always avoid distracted driving. When a driver is distracted and braking technology fails, pedestrians can sustain severe injuries.
Consult with Our Personal Injury Lawyers in Campbell for Free Today
At the law firm of Schaar & Silva, LLP, our Campbell personal injury attorneys help pedestrians who incurred losses due to serious accidents and injuries. Call 408.721.1111 or contact us online for a free consultation with a member of our trusted legal team today.
