Few vehicles excel in a new nighttime test of pedestrian auto-braking systems

(These six soundbites are from David Harkey, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s president. For more about the study, visit iihs.org.) “We’ve introduced a nighttime-test of pedestrian ‘auto-braking’ systems—to address the high percentage of pedestrian-fatalities that occur on dark roads: Of the 23 models that we’ve tested so far—including midsize cars, midsize S-U-V’s, and small pickups—only four earn the highest rating of ‘superior’. Most of the models earn only a ‘basic’ score—or even receive no credit. We know that many of these same vehicles already perform well in daylight-conditions; that’s why we’re confident that this new test will push improvements for better performance at night and, therefore, save lives.” (:39) “It’s clear, however, that automakers can rise to this new challenge: Ford, Nissan, and Toyota already earn ‘superior’ ratings for some models. Meanwhile, a total of seven other models so far—from Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, and Subaru—earn ‘advanced’ ratings.” (:18) “Pedestrian-deaths have been surging in recent years. And, one contributing factor is a changing vehicle-fleet—with more pickups and S-U-V’s on the road. Since research has found that these vehicles are more dangerous to pedestrians, it’s especially discouraging to see so many S-U-V- and pickup-models perform poorly in this round of testing.” (:21) “After reaching a low in 2009, federal estimates for last year show that pedestrian-crash deaths have since soared by nearly 80-percent. Indeed, the over-seven-thousand pedestrians who were killed in 2021 accounted for almost a fifth of all traffic-fatalities. And, three-quarters of those fatalities occur at night—when most pedestrian ‘auto-braking’ systems are less effective.” (:26) “We found recently that ‘auto-braking’ technology slashed pedestrian-crashes by more than a quarter overall. However, in that same study, there was no difference in crash-risk for ‘A-E-B’-equipped and unequipped vehicles at night, on unlit roads. That finding made it clear that we need to expand testing to nighttime-conditions, as well.” (:23) “New vehicles are packed with technology. And, most crash-avoidance systems are proving effective—including these pedestrian ‘auto-braking’ systems. However, consumers may not realize that many of these systems come up short at night—when they’re needed most. Our new ratings-program aims to ensure that this important technology will intervene—regardless of the time of day.” (:24)