Skip to main content

Low speed AEB technology ‘reduces rear-end crashes’

The findings of Euro NCAP and ANCAP, the independent safety bodies for Europe and Australasia, on the effectiveness of low speed autonomous emergency braking in real-world rear-end crashes have concluded that low speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) technology needs widespread fitment for maximum benefits. Published in the online edition of the Accident Analysis & Prevention journal, the publication says that AEB is one of the more promising safety technologies that are becoming increasingly common o
May 14, 2015 Read time: 3 mins
The findings of 6437 Euro NCAP and 6373 ANCAP, the independent safety bodies for Europe and Australasia, on the effectiveness of low speed autonomous emergency braking in real-world rear-end crashes have concluded that low speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) technology needs widespread fitment for maximum benefits.

Published in the online edition of the Accident Analysis & Prevention journal, the publication says that AEB is one of the more promising safety technologies that are becoming increasingly common on modern passenger cars. The low speed option normally consists of an automatic brake function that operates for speeds up to 30km/h or 50km/h. Previous studies have predicted significant expected benefits of AEB technology in low speed rear-end crashes but, so far, there has been little evidence that they really work.

Real-world evaluations of advanced safety systems are often limited by slow take-up rates, insufficient crash data and lower crash rates of new, safer vehicles. Euro NCAP, with support of ANCAP, has initiated the Validating Vehicle Safety through Meta-Analysis (VVSMA) group, bringing together experts from governments, industry, consumer and insurance organisations. The group pooled data from five European countries plus Australia using a standard analysis format and a novel prospective meta-analysis approach. Induced exposure methods were adopted to control for any extraneous effects.

The findings showed a 38 per cent overall reduction in real-world, rear-end crashes for vehicles fitted with low speed AEB compared to a sample of equivalent vehicles with no AEB. There was no statistical difference found between urban (≤60km/h) and rural (>60km/h) speed zones.

Dr Anders Lie, the group chairman from the 746 Swedish Transport Administration, commented: “The meta-analysis approach used in this analysis is a unique academic contribution to the evaluation of vehicle safety technologies internationally and proved to be reliable with robust findings. Clearly, at this level of effectiveness, low speed AEB is potentially an important active safety technology and widespread fitment through the vehicle fleet should be encouraged in the interest of improved vehicle safety.”

Dr Michiel van Ratingen, Secretary General of Euro NCAP, said: “These findings strongly support our decision to make AEB technology a key discriminator in the safety rating of new vehicles. Through VVSMA, we will continue to monitor the effectiveness in reducing real world crashes of the advanced systems that are promoted in order to validate and improve the overall star rating.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Global ADAS market forecast to reach US$261 billion by 2020
    April 19, 2013
    Analysts at ABI Research forecast that the global market for ADAS systems will increase to more than US$261 billion by the end of 2020, representing a CAGR of 41%. “ADAS systems are increasingly being offered by mass-market OEMs such as Ford and Volkswagen,” said Gareth Owen, research analyst at ABI Research. “Whilst the majority are offered in bundles and sold as optional “driver-assist” packages, a growing number of OEMs are starting to fit some ADAS systems as standard equipment.” A key catalyst driving
  • Driver aids make inroads on improving safety
    November 12, 2015
    In-vehicle anti-collision systems continue to evolve and could eliminate some incidents altogether. John Kendall rounds up the current developments. A few weeks ago, I watched a driver reverse a car from a parking bay at right angles to the road, straight into a car driving along the road. The accident happened at walking pace, no-one was hurt and both cars had body panels that regain their shape after a low speed shunt.
  • Speed limits: is 20 really plenty?
    June 16, 2020
    Speed kills – which means cutting speed should cut collisions. But is it that simple?
  • City Safety reduces low speed accidents on Volvo’s XC60 and S60
    May 29, 2013
    It was four years ago that Volvo introduced its City Safety collision avoidance system which is designed to reduce the number and severity of low-speed accidents to the US market. However, a study in America by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) has shown that the results may not be as good as initially indicated by an earlier report. According to Volvo, statistics show that 75% of reported collisions occur at speeds of up to 30km/h (18.6mph) typically in urban traffic and in slow-moving traffic queues