Car safety technology has come a long way since its invention. In the past, most safety features were aimed at reducing the severity of injuries in the event of an accident.
Today, car safety technology leans more toward preventing accidents. One such technology is crash avoidance technology, which will bring notable changes in the industry according to stakeholders in the insurance sector.
Here are some common forms of crash avoidance technologies that have become standard in almost every vehicle leaving the production line.
Forward Collision Warning and Emergency Braking
Forward collision warning and emergency braking capabilities are among the most reliable forms of crash avoidance systems. Forward collision avoidance technology warns the driver if its sensors detect an obstacle such as a slow or stalled vehicle, a pedestrian, or an animal that could cause an accident.
This technology often works alongside the automatic emergency braking feature that engages the vehicle’s braking system when the driver does not respond to the warning. The automatic braking feature works in two ways by slowing down the vehicle to allow the driver time to react or completely immobilizing the car.
Other Collision Avoidance Technology
Changing lanes at the wrong time is the leading cause of side-swipe accidents. Often, drivers will leave the lane at the wrong time if they are distracted or do not take their time to check their blind spots. Modern cars come with lane departure technology that notifies drivers when drifting out of their lane.
More advanced lane departure technology automatically steers the vehicle back to the lane if the drifting away is unintentional. Blindspot assist works by warning a driver of vehicles in their blind spot when they show intent to move from one lane to another.
Cruise control is also a common feature in newer cars. When activated, cruise control mimics a driver by accelerating and decelerating based on the conditions on the road, such as the speed of the car ahead, and brings the car to a stop when it approaches an obstacle.
Effect of Technology on Insurance
Insurance companies charge premiums based on age, gender, or the driver’s history of causing accidents. However, vehicles with crash avoidance technologies will help reduce the possibility of accidents for persons with a high-risk rating, such as teen drivers, which will ultimately redefine the auto insurance industry. In other words, the price of insurance premiums will come down over time as the risks go down.
Who is Liable for an Accident Resulting from a Failed Collision Avoidance Technology?
“Collision avoidance technology is supposed to assist the driver by reducing their chances of getting into an accident, not replacing the driver,” says injury lawyer John Cooper of Cooper Hurley Injury Lawyers. For example, a vehicle with the most advanced lane departure technology does not give the driver a reason to get their hands off the wheel.
The driver is responsible for controlling the vehicle while on the road. This means that the driver has liability for accidents resulting from a collision avoidance technology failure.
Accidents caused by overreliance on technology, such as removing both hands from the wheel, may warrant more than just economic and non-economic damages claims for the affected party. Taking both hands off the wheel to engage in another activity may be considered gross negligence, which could make the offender liable for punitive damages.
