18/05/2018

EU proposal hopes to save lives

Developments in the safety of our roads took a huge leap forward yesterday, with a landmark EU proposal to mandate the fitting of lifesaving technologies, including Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB) and Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA), in all new cars. A survey of more than 2000 drivers by Brake and Direct Line has found overwhelming support for the move, with 9 in 10 drivers agreeing that all new cars should be fitted with the latest lifesaving safety features as standard.

The proposal is part of the European Commission's (EC) Third Mobility Package. A set of measures with the objective of allowing all drivers to benefit from safer traffic, less polluting vehicles and more advanced technological solutions.

The case to mandate these lifesaving technologies, rather than rely upon their purchase as optional extras, is highlighted by the current lack of awareness of AEB and ISA, and their limited fitting in cars.

• 58% of drivers said they didn't know what AEB was. When the technology was explained, only 15% thought their car was fitted with AEB, with 12% unsure.

• 67% of drivers said they didn't know what ISA was. When the technology was explained, only 15% thought their car was fitted with ISA, with 7% unsure.

This contradiction between drivers' desire for safety features and their reluctance to purchase them as optional extras was further highlighted in the survey, bolstering the Commission's case that mandating these technologies is the only effective way to get them on our roads and saving lives.

• 9 in 10 drivers agree that all new cars should be fitted with the latest lifesaving safety features as standard. However, the majority of drivers said if they were buying a new car, they would not spend more to ensure it had AEB or ISA technology.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at road safety charity Brake, said, 'These technologies are proven to save lives, so this announcement should be warmly welcomed by all who are truly committed to improving road safety. Drivers want their vehicles to be safe, but the reality is they rarely opt to spend more on safety features as optional extras. This decision puts the onus for safety back on the car manufacturers and in one swoop, will dramatically improve the safety of our roads forever.'

Neil Ingram, head of motor product management at direct line, said, 'Technological advancements in vehicle safety have the ability to save countless lives, however, when someone purchases a new car they are not always willing to pay extra for safety features. With improvements in the road casualty rate stalling, the fitting of AEB and ISA as standard on all new cars has the potential to be the step-change in road safety we have been looking for. Such technologies can not only reduce the needless deaths and injuries on our roads, but also continue the progression and growth, as well as driver acceptance, of semi autonomous vehicles and the benefits in safety they can bring.'

Matthew Avery, director of research at Thatcham Research, commented, 'Just as seatbelts are a legal requirement on all cars and vans, AEB should be as well. We have campaigned for many years for it to be standard on all vehicles, and with the latest AEB systems now capable of identifying pedestrians and cyclists, there is an opportunity for the UK Government to address the growing number of cyclist and pedestrian fatalities. We would hope that no blockers are put in the way by carmakers or parliamentarians around making these technologies mandatory on all UK cars and vans as soon as possible.'

AEB is a lifesaving crash avoidance system that Thatcham Research has campaigned to be standard for the past five years. It has been found that cars with AEB have a 38% reduction in real-world rear-end crashes. Thatcham Research has calculated that it has the potential to save 1,100 lives and more than 120,000 casualties over the next 10 years.

Since 2014, AEB has been included in the Euro NCAP car safety test regime, which has helped to drive adoption by carmakers. In 2017, for example, 54% of all cars tested by Euro NCAP had AEB as standard. However, in the UK only 30% of cars on sale have AEB as standard, as it is mostly offered as an optional extra. More worryingly, of the top 10 best-selling UK car brands in 2017, only one (Land Rover) had 100% fitment across their model range, while significantly, the top two car brands (Ford and Vauxhall) had only seven per cent and 14% fitment across their entire car range.

The European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) welcomed yesterday's Commission proposal to further improve vehicle safety, while stressing that some proposed measures will require further review to ensure a focus on the most effective solutions with the strongest positive outcome.

'ACEA members acknowledge the importance of including additional safety features in new car types,' stated ACEA secretary general, Erik Jonnaert.

These include autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems, which start braking manoeuvres automatically if a collision is imminent and the driver is not taking any action to avoid it, and lane departure warning (LDW) systems, which warn the driver if he leaves a marked lane without using his indicator.

At the same time, ACEA calls for synergies to be factored in to avoid solving the same problem twice. For instance, driver distraction accidents will already be reduced by autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning as well as lane keeping assist systems (LKAS). Autonomous emergency braking will also prevent or reduce the severity of frontal and side crashes.

While recognising the need to address accidents caused by excessive speed, ACEA recommends a step-wise approach for introducing intelligent speed assistance (ISA) systems in cars. This should include developing and implementing effective solutions for providing reliable information to the vehicle, based on, for example, short-range communications.

Based on information from road-sign recognition cameras and GPS-linked speed limit databases, intelligent speed assistance systems can prevent drivers from exceeding speed limits. However, there are still many issues with infrastructure. Road signs are not harmonised across Europe and information on speed limits is not reliable enough. Digital maps are also not fully populated with speed limit information for all roads, and data are not always updated. Camera-based systems simply cannot anticipate all scenarios, such as when traffic signs are covered.

'Vehicle technology is just one piece of the complex safety puzzle,' said Erik. 'If we are to make progress on the Commission's new objective of reducing fatalities and serious injuries by half between 2020 and 2030, we need put more emphasis on an integrated road safety strategy. This is the only way to ensure that safe vehicles are driven by safe drivers on safe roads.'

Hence, ACEA welcomes that the Commission yesterday also published updated rules on road infrastructure safety, as well as a strategy for automated driving.