In an accompanying report, the NTSB reviews the safety benefits of currently available systems and cites slow progress in implementing such systems as being a major safety issue. The report – "The Use of Forward Collision Avoidance Systems to Prevent and Mitigate Rear-End Crashes" – notes that during 2011-2012, two-vehicle rear-end crashes accounted for almost 3,500 fatalities, of which 2,200 might have been prevented had the vehicles been equipped with a forward collision avoidance system (CAS), according to NTSB analysis.
A forward CAS typically consists of both a collision warning function to alert the driver of an impending collision, and autonomous emergency braking that automatically applies the brakes. In addition to preventing fatalities, the report says, such systems would also have reduced both injuries and the severity of injuries in almost 94% of the cases studied in which a passenger vehicle was the striking vehicle.
The NTSB has previously recommended the adoption of collision avoidance systems – in 12 recommendations over 20 years – but says progress on these has been "very limited" due to lack of incentives and limited public awareness. Of 684 passenger vehicles in 2014, only four included automatic braking as a standard feature: the Mercedes-Benz G Class 4X4, the Subaru Forester and Outback, and the Subaru Legacy.
In the report, The NTSB recommends that manufacturers make collision avoidance systems standard equipment in new vehicles, starting with collision warning systems and then adding autonomous emergency braking once standards are completed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The NTSB is also calling on NHTSA to develop tests and standards to enable rating the performance of such systems on individual vehicles.
The board has also issued a safety alert for consumers and fleet owners, recommending the choice of vehicles with collision warning and autonomous emergency braking functions. See below for a video (5:41) of the announcement of the NTSB report by Chairman Christopher A. Hart:
Related links:
National Transportation Safety Board
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration