Do Emergency Features Prevent Fatalities In New York?

Accident News | October 15, 2019

Pedestrian fatalities have dramatically grown over the last 10 years. The Governors Highway Safety Association stated there was a 35 percent rise in pedestrian fatalities from 2008-2018. In 2009, there were 4,109 pedestrian deaths in the United States, and that rose to 6,000 in 2017. These statements may astonish a lot of people, because of the expansion of technology and safety elements in automobiles. New model vehicles are armed with the latest and greatest in protection tech like automated emergency braking, blind-spot alerts, object detection, and flexible lighting. However, a new AAA study explains that this new technology is definitely not perfect.

While the latest advances in car technology does assist in lessening accidents overall, do they prevent accidents with pedestrians?

For instance, a car with auto emergency breaking that comes with pedestrian detection should see a pedestrian, send out an alarm to the person behind the wheel, then slow and brake when the driver doesn’t respond fast enough. AAA tested four 2019 model cars–A Chevy Malibu, a Honda Accord, a Toyota Camry, and a Tesla Model 3–with crash dummies that mimic a human driver in an attempt to test the efficiency of pedestrian detection technology.

The Testing Found

  • If a pedestrian walked across the street in daylight and the vehicle was moving at 20 mph, an accident was prevented 40 percent of the time
  • If two pedestrians were walking across the street and the vehicle was moving at 20 mph, an accident was prevented only 20 percent of the time
  • If a child stepped into traffic with two automobiles that were moving at 20 mph, a crash took place 89 percent of the time
  • The technology was totally useless when pedestrians crossed a street at night

What Does This Mean?

This implies that there needs to be an advancement for technology during night hours because 75 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur at night. The AAA test attempted to imitate what circumstances drivers would come across when behind the wheel, like an inadequately lit spot and pedestrians that are dressed in dark clothes. The technology, similar to a driver, had a hard time finding and detecting pedestrian dummies at night. Speed was a further element in vehicle crashes that involve pedestrians. A pedestrian has a 10 percent chance of severe injury when a person behind the wheel is driving at 17 mph. If the momentum rises to 48 mph, the chance of a grave injury goes up to 90 percent.

This is why pedestrians remain in danger of being struck even when the vehicle driver has a new model car with safety equipment. Even with these detection accessories, the driver has a duty of care for people on the road and the surroundings around them. If someone strikes you because of negligence, like speeding, distracted driving, or turning illegally, he may be responsible for damages such as medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages, and property damage.

Retaining The Services Of A New York Attorney

With a personal injury lawyer on your side, you have an effective way to protect yourself after an accident. If you or a loved one has been hurt due to a collision with another driver, retain our services to learn more about what your rights are, what your options are, and the most effective way to get the justice you are due.

Have you been hurt in a collision? If you or a loved one sustained an injury in an accident, contact the expert personal injury attorneys at Gattuso & Ciotoli Law Offices. At Gattuso & Ciotoli Law Offices, we help clients get the most compensation for your car accident injuries. Contacting Gattuso & Ciotoli Law Offices will assist you in your car accident claim right away. Each accident is unique and can vary from case-to-case. It is vital to gain the services of an experienced personal injury attorney who can assist you within your accident claim. Contact us to talk about the details of your accident and how we can help you to get the compensation you deserve.