Crash avoidance technologies

Vehicles equipped with crash avoidance features

Crash avoidance features are rapidly making their way into the vehicle fleet. Six of the most common new technologies are forward collision warning, auto brake, lane departure warning, lane departure prevention, adaptive headlights and blind spot detection. Find out if your car has them.

Q&As

Crash avoidance technologies with animations showing the technologies in action (see Question #2)

Antilock brakes

Electronic stability control

HLDI bulletins

Acura collision avoidance features: initial results; HLDI, December 2011

Buick collision avoidance features: initial results; HLDI, December 2011

Mazda collision avoidance features: initial results; HLDI, December 2011

Mercedes-Benz collision avoidance features: initial results; HLDI, April 2012

Volvo collision avoidance features: initial results; HLDI, April 2012

Volvo City Safety loss experience: initial results bulletin and appendix; HLDI, June 2011

Research paper

Volvo drivers experiences with advanced crash avoidance and related technologies; Angela H. Eichelberger and Anne T. McCartt, December 2012

Selected research bibliography

Highlights from the Institute's research since 1969

News releases

July 3, 2012 Crash avoidance features reduce crashes, insurance claim study shows; autonomous braking and adaptive headlights yield biggest benefits

July 19, 2011 High-tech system on Volvos is preventing crashes

Status Report newsletter special issue

Vol. 47, No. 5, July 3, 2012: Special issue: crash avoidance features

Vol. 43, No. 3, April 17, 2008: Special issue: crash avoidance features

Status Report newsletter articles

Vol. 47, No. 10, December 20, 2012: Volvo owners give thumbs-up to crash avoidance features

Vol. 47, No. 1, January 24, 2012: New safety features take 3 decades on average to spread through the vehicle fleet, a HLDI report says

Vol. 46, No. 6, July 19, 2011: Volvo's City Safety prevents crashes at low speeds and reduces insurance costs, a new HLDI analysis shows

Vol. 46, No. 3, March 30, 2011: Pedestrians stand to benefit from new vehicle technology and design changes aimed at preventing crashes • Volvo brings the first pedestrian avoidance system to U.S. market

Vol. 45, No. 5, May 20, 2010: Crash avoidance technologies for passenger vehicles could prevent or mitigate about 1 of every 3 fatal crashes • Large trucks will benefit from crash avoidance technology

Vol. 44, No. 10, November 18, 2009: Crash avoidance features gain traction with Infiniti and Volvo owners

Regulatory comments

Comment to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concerning promotion or regulation of advanced braking technologies that rely on forward-looking sensors (Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0057), September 18, 2012

Comment to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concerning proposed revision to vehicle lighting requirements to allow more advanced adaptive forward lighting technologies in United States (Docket No. NHTSA-2011-0145), September 10, 2012

Comment to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration concerning NASS/CDS (Docket No. NHTSA-2009-0106), July 1, 2009

Testimony

Statement before the Commerce Subcommittee of U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee, Emerging vehicle safety issues, Stephen L. Oesch, May 18, 2009