Pedestrian accidents account for a significant percentage of the total number of people killed in motor auto accidents every year. Technologies like auto emergency braking systems that are specifically designed to help vehicles to avoid striking pedestrians have been touted as the way forward as companies and regulators come together to reduce these car accident risks. However, a new study suggests many of those systems do not work very well during the night time.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently rated vehicles based on the effectiveness of their pedestrian auto emergency braking systems, and found that only a few of the models included in the study performed well in preventing auto accidents that occurred at night or in poorly lit conditions. In daytime or well-lit conditions, these systems worked very well with 19 out of the 23 models studied performing very well in preventing pedestrian accidents. However, when it came to night time conditions, the results were markedly different. Only a few vehicles performed well in night time conditions.
Even more concerning is the finding that vehicles like small size pickups and SUVs are less likely to perform well in poor visibility conditions. This is even more disheartening because these are the vehicles that can cause the most serious injuries to a pedestrian in an accident. When a pedestrian is involved in an auto accident with an SUV or a small pickup truck, the risk of serious injury or even death can be significantly higher. In fact, the disparity between protection for pedestrians during well -lit and unlit conditions is so high that the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is considering introducing a night time test for pedestrian automatic emergency braking systems.
In 2021, more than 7,300 pedestrians were killed in car accidents. This was an 80% increase from the figures in 2009. Even more worrying is the fact that 75% of the deaths occurred during night time. Awareness campaigns and education of motorists about the rights of pedestrians can go a long way in helping reduce the risk to people who are walking. Technology can also play a very important role in helping reduce car accident risks for pedestrians. With a large percentage of these car accident fatalities occurring during the night time, it is imperative that automakers do more to ensure that the technologies that they have included in their models are better equipped to fight against car accident risks in poorly-lit conditions.
The Atlanta car crash attorneys at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons injured in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to a lawyer at our firm and determine if you have legal options to a claim for damages. You may be eligible for compensation that includes medical expenses, lost income and other types of damages. Talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your case.