- 06/11/2017
- Category: Commentaries
Since its invention in the late 19th century by Carl Benz, cars have developed into high-technology transportation machines. Innovations have been made in many aspects, including safety – how the car can keep the occupants safe when something unwanted happens. Perhaps some iconic ones are the three-point seatbelts and airbags developed by Volvo, Mercedes-Benz, and General Motors in the 20th century. But now carmakers have been bragging about their modern ‘active safety technologies’, claiming that these computer-based systems are the future of an accident-free driving experience. So what exactly are ‘active safety technologies’? How do they help reduce the risks of accidents? And perhaps most importantly – do we need them?
To start off, active safety in the automotive industry refers to safety systems that help avoid automobile accidents. This technology is on a safety level above passive safety systems, the duty of which is to minimize the effects of a car accident. Passive safety systems can be found in most modern cars, such as crumple zones, airbags, and seatbelts, which have contributed positively to road safety. Take the airbag as an example – since their first application in the Oldsmobile Toronado in the 1970’s, airbags are now fitted in almost every new car on sale globally and have proved to successfully reduce the number of road fatalities by 2,000 a year in the United States alone.[i]
However, manufacturers did not stop there. Instead of only reducing the effects of an accident, automakers wanted the car and the occupants to be able to avoid the accident in the first place. This is where the active safety game begins. Starting from anti-lock brakes which prevents the wheels from locking up under heavy braking to maximize the driver’s control, to electronic stability control which keeps the car from losing grip under sudden high-speed manoeuvres by reducing the engine’s power and activating the brakes, active safety systems have been developed extensively throughout the years. The advancements of digital technologies mean that nowadays cars are more capable of avoiding an accident than you might think.
United States Department of Transport claims that over 81% of annual vehicle crashes could be prevented using modern technology such as radar-based safety devices.[ii] For starters, there is autonomous braking. Some cars are fitted with cameras and sensors which monitors the surroundings to detect any dangers and activate the brakes accordingly to avoid impact. It is estimated that collision avoidance features like this would be helpful in reducing the 1.2 million accidents per year, including 66,000 crashes resulting in moderate or severe injuries, and 879 fatal crashes.[iii] Then there is also a system called lane departure warning and prevention, which monitors the lanes on the road. When the car strays off its lane (due to an unfocused driver, for example), the system will warn the driver or even steer the car back to its lane. The IIHS estimated that 7,529 fatal crashes could be prevented every year if all cars were equipped with at least a lane departure warning system.[iv] Blind spot information system (BLIS) is also available, using cameras on the side of the car to detect the presence of other vehicles within the car’s blind spot and alert the driver to their presence with a warning light on the corresponding side of the car.[v]
These features are available in almost all sorts of cars from mainstream runabouts such as the Volkswagen Polo and Mazda CX-3 to big luxury limousines such as the Audi A8, Hyundai Genesis G90, and Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Some makers have even branded their active safety systems, such as Volvo’s Autopilot, Honda’s Sensing, and Subaru’s Eyesight. What we can see here is that active safety systems are now a top priority among automakers.
The question now is whether we need them or not. Here’s the thing – almost 1.3 million people die in road crashes each year globally, on average 3,287 deaths a day according to the Association for Safe International Road Travel. [vi] Causes of these accidents are mainly distractions, fatigue, and being under the influence of alcohol.[vii] What can be seen from today’s active safety systems is that they help the car avoid accidents while the driver is under those circumstances, and with that in mind it can be difficult to deny that it is a shameful truth to acknowledge. People now feel ‘safer’ to drive under influence – among other things – because of the presence of these modern systems, but what should be agreed upon is that it would be better for us drivers to be, obviously, better and more sensible drivers. These active safety systems can reduce the risk of having an accident, but they do not guarantee a safe journey altogether.
To sum up, active safety technologies fitted in many cars nowadays are helpful because they can save you from having an accident. It shows how much the technologies have developed in the automotive industry. For decades, we have seen cars with safety features which have gotten better over time. We are currently at the peak of the development of safety systems, coming up with features that are even more clever and advanced. They may sound great on paper, and in practice they do work to a large extent. However, it comes back to those behind the wheel – accidents happen due to our clumsiness, such as being distracted or being under influence. In this modern age, what needs to be the mindset of road safety is that it is not what type of technology we use or vehicle we drive that matters, but it is how we drive it. Safety is in our own hands, and no matter how clever your vehicle is, it would be unwise to take our hands off the wheel.
Picture: pixabay.com
[i] Hellinga, L.A., McCartt, A.T. and Haire, E.R., 2007. Choice of teenagers’ vehicles and views on vehicle safety: Survey of parents of novice teenage drivers. Journal of safety research, 38(6), pp.707-713.
[ii] Shah, R. (2017). Future technologies to avoid car crash – ET Auto. [online] ETAuto.com. Available at: https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/auto-technology/future-technologies-to-avoid-car-crash/57375483 [Accessed 14 Oct. 2017].
[iii] Nielsen, D. (2013). Illumin – Automotive Active Safety Systems. [online] Illumin.usc.edu. Available at: http://illumin.usc.edu/274/automotive-active-safety-systems/1/ [Accessed 19 Oct. 2017].
[iv] Nielsen, D. (2013). Illumin – Automotive Active Safety Systems. [online] Illumin.usc.edu. Available at: http://illumin.usc.edu/274/automotive-active-safety-systems/1/ [Accessed 19 Oct. 2017].
[v] Nielsen, D. (2013). Illumin – Automotive Active Safety Systems. [online] Illumin.usc.edu. Available at: http://illumin.usc.edu/274/automotive-active-safety-systems/1/ [Accessed 19 Oct. 2017].
[vi] Asirt.org. (n.d.). Road Crash Statistics. [online] Available at: http://asirt.org/initiatives/informing-road-users/road-safety-facts/road-crash-statistics [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017].
[vii] Archstone Solicitors. (2015). The Biggest Causes of Road Traffic Accidents. [online] Available at: http://archstone.org.uk/how-do-road-traffic-accidents-happen-the-biggest-causes-of-accidents-on-the-road-part-1/ [Accessed 25 Oct. 2017].
