Cars To Have Automatic Braking By 2022

Connecticut drivers will be on safer roads in the years ahead thanks to an agreement among major automakers to make automatic braking systems standard equipment in nearly 100 percent of light vehicles by 2022. The systems brake when the driver reacts too slowly and fails to brake at all or uses too little power in doing so.

The agreement was announced on March 17. The technology is expected to reduce accident rates by 20 percent. That represents about 1 million fewer accidents each year. Automatic breaking technology has been shown to be particularly effective in reducing the severity of rear-end collisions, as the great majority of them are caused by distracted drivers.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Consumer Reports and the National Transportation Safety Board have all pushed for mandatory automatic braking systems. A former administrator for the NHTSA says that the agency should have brought in rules that were legally binding rather than allowing the automakers to come to an informal agreement, but the current administrator says that it would take eight years at minimum to put such rules in place.

Although safety technology is improving, drivers are still a long way from roads that are entirely safe. Along with their passengers as well pedestrians and cyclists, they are still in danger from other motorists who may not yet have the latest technology and might hit them due to just a few moments of inattentiveness. A person who is injured in accident like this may want to speak to an attorney. Sometimes, there is a tendency for insurance companies to offer too little money, and even a person with catastrophic injuries may not realize that there might be recourse. A personal injury attorney may be able to negotiate for a higher offer or even file a lawsuit if necessary.