Rear-end collisions are some of the most prevalent roadway crashes here in the U.S. You may have been in one yourself and do not want to be involved in another.
Could such a crash be avoided with the help of technology? Some government agencies are in favor of installing collision-avoidance systems on all vehicles.
The causes of rear-end collisions
Statistics show that roughly 1.7 million rear-end crashes occur on U.S. roads every year. A driver who is at fault for such an accident might have been texting or using a cellphone to call someone. He or she might have been drinking and misjudged the amount of time it would take to stop. There could be dozens of reasons for a driver running into the back of another vehicle, a crash that could cause severe injuries.
The new technology
Now we have collision-avoidance systems. One of these is a forward-collision warning system, and another is steering assist. Some of these new systems have only been available on high-end luxury cars, but agencies like the National Transportation Safety Board feel that automobile manufacturers should make them standard equipment on all vehicles.
Bells and whistles
The systems work by using cameras, lasers, sensors and even radar to monitor what is happening around the vehicle in which they are installed. Such a system keeps tabs on cyclists, pedestrians and other vehicles, and the input goes into a computer, which then issues a warning prompt to the driver–like a beep or a steering wheel vibration–if a collision is imminent.
Living with the results
A personal injury attorney will tell you that even a rear-end collision that happens at low speed can be devastating, and the victim might have to live with his or her injuries for a lifetime. Experts say that the new technology can help drivers avoid such accidents. Even if a basic crash-avoidance system fails to work as it should, automatic braking is usually present and operable, resulting in a crash that is often less severe than it otherwise would have been.
