Collision avoidance tech could cut car crash rates

Illinois motorists could be safer on the roads if collision avoidance systems become more widely available, according to a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The IIHS research indicated that lane departure warning systems and blind spot alerts cut down significantly on car accidents, especially those that cause injuries.

As part of the study, the IIHS looked at over 5,000 vehicle crashes that took place in 2015, focusing on the types of collisions that these technologies were designed to prevent. The research also examined what happened for vehicles that did have the warning systems installed.

For vehicles with collision avoidance technologies in place, the rate of one-car, sideswipe and head-on collisions was reduced by 11 percent. Even more strikingly, these technologies appear to cut the rates of injury crashes by 21 percent. The researchers said that if all cars and passenger trucks had lane departure warning systems installed in 2015, over 55,000 injuries could have been avoided.

However, the data also showed that despite their effectiveness, some drivers may be switching off the warning systems. In comparison to the results of this study, a similar look at U.S. trucking fleets and Volvo cars in Sweden found that implementing these technologies cut accident rates in half. A number of the systems beep when issuing an alert, which can be annoying to drivers and lead them to switch off the technology.

Whether or not these technologies are installed in a vehicle, a crash can be devastating and cause serious personal injuries. Negligent drivers can cause real harm that even warning technologies can have a hard time preventing. People who have been injured in a crash through no fault of their own can consult a personal injury attorney to find out how they can seek compensation for their lost wages, medical bills and other resulting damages.