Automatic Emergency Braking Systems Have Improved Following Tougher Crash Prevention Criteria From IIHS: Report

Stricter front crash prevention criteria has established more accurate safety ratings for the effectiveness of automatic emergency braking systems.

A new report highlights how recent improvements made by some auto manufacturers to automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems are helping reduce the frequency and severity of high-speed crashes.

Automatic emergency braking technologies use sensors, cameras, and radar to detect potential collisions and apply the brakes, significantly reducing crash risks.

While AEB is still a relatively new technology, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) introduced stricter front crash prevention criteria last year, pushing manufacturers to improve performance. These updates have enhanced AEB systems’ ability to detect and respond to obstacles at higher speeds, increased braking efficiency, and improved functionality in low-light conditions.

According to the IIHS’s latest report, these improvements have led to more vehicles earning good or acceptable ratings in crash prevention tests, demonstrating that modern AEB systems are now better equipped to prevent or substantially reduce the severity of high-speed crashes.

In IIHS’s most recent front-end crash tests conducted in April 2024, 22 of the 30 vehicles evaluated earned a good or acceptable rating, while only three out of the first 10 small SUVs achieved that level of performance.

The original front crash prevention tests were discontinued at the end of 2022, because all vehicles evaluated were earning the top rating. Those tests were conducted at 12 and 25 mph, using a car in the center of the lane as the target.

The updated test includes trial runs at 31, 37 and 43 mph, using both a car and a motorcycle as targets. The vehicles were positioned in the center and offset to one side. A semitrailer was also placed in the same lane as the tested vehicle.

IIHS’s new evaluation reflects a greater proportion of police-reported crashes, including many that tend to result in serious injuries or deaths. By using different targets, the test better evaluates a systems’ forward collision warning and automatic braking capabilities.

Systems rated as “good” delivered timely forward collision warnings and came to a complete stop before impact in all trials with the car. They also came to a stop in most of the motorcycle trials and provided timely warnings in the semitrailer trials.

“Acceptable” systems stopped the vehicle before impact and delivered timely warnings in the majority of trials. However, their performance lagged at higher speeds, with all of them failing to prevent collisions with the motorcycle at 43 mph and sometimes crashing at speeds over 25 mph.

All vehicles rated as “poor” hit the motorcycle in the slowest test at 31 mph. Most of these vehicles also struggled with cars and failed to slow enough in the 37 mph test to qualify for additional AEB testing. However, in most trials with the car and semitrailer, they still delivered timely forward collision alerts.

“The rapid progress manufacturers have made to improve these vital crash avoidance systems is impressive,” David Harkey, president of IIHS, said. “Vehicles that excel in this new test will save lives, as it addresses the most dangerous kinds of front-to-rear crashes.”