Pedestrian Braking Systems Do Not Always Register Nighttime Reflective Clothing: AAA

Roadside workers and pedestrians may face increasing risks as more drivers rely on automated technology, which may not recognize high‑visibility clothing.

Researchers report that pedestrian automatic emergency braking (PAEB) technology may prevent up to 60% of collisions, though its reliability declines significantly during nighttime driving, even when it encounters high-visibility clothing intended to draw attention to pedestrians or road-side workers.

Automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems are increasingly used by drivers, involving forward-facing cameras, radar and other sensors designed to detect potential collisions and automatically apply the brakes. The technology has become common in new vehicles over the past decade, and studies show it can significantly reduce rear-end and intersection impacts.

Pedestrian automatic emergency braking extends that protection to people outside the vehicle by detecting pedestrians in the vehicle’s path and stopping or slowing the car if the driver fails to react in time. However, the system’s accuracy depends on lighting, sensor calibration and environmental conditions. 

When pedestrians are not properly recognized, especially at night or in low-visibility settings, the system may not engage, leaving little time to prevent a collision and increasing the risk of severe injury or death.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) published new findings on October 15, examining whether nighttime PAEB performance has improved since 2019 and how visibility clothing worn by roadside assistance workers affects detection under different lighting conditions.

In the study (PDF), closed-course testing was conducted on a 2024 Honda Accord, 2025 Toyota Camry, 2025 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2025 Tesla Model 3 under both day and nighttime conditions. Each vehicle traveled at 25 mph toward a crossing robotic pedestrian wearing high-visibility clothing.

The test pedestrian wore Class 3 high-visibility clothing, the highest level of reflective protection available. By comparison, Class 1 gear is intended for low-risk settings such as parking lots, and Class 2 is used in areas with traffic moving under 50 mph. Class 3 garments offer full-body visibility and are designed for high-risk environments like highway work zones, nighttime operations or poor weather conditions.

AAA’s testing showed that nighttime PAEB performance has improved substantially since 2019, with vehicles now avoiding collisions in 60% of test scenarios, compared to 0% six years ago. However, results still varied widely between vehicle models, indicating that reliability depends heavily on system design and calibration.

During daylight testing, Class 3 high-visibility clothing had no negative effect on performance, with vehicles avoiding pedestrian impacts 95% of the time. At night, though, detection results were inconsistent, and several systems failed to recognize pedestrians until it was too late to prevent a crash.

More than 75% of all pedestrian fatalities occur after dark, according to federal data, underscoring how inconsistent nighttime detection continues to present a serious risk to pedestrian safety despite recent technological gains.

“Most pedestrian fatalities occur at night, and these systems can make a significant difference during those hours. However, mixed performances with high-visibility clothing indicate that further refinement and testing are necessary to save more lives, including those of our roadside assistance providers.”

— Greg Brannon, Director of Automotive Engineering Research, AAA

As a result of these findings, researchers urged regulators and standards organizations to strengthen pedestrian safety protocols in system testing.

Automatic Emergency Braking System Concerns

Despite stricter criteria and improvements in pedestrian emergency braking systems, concerns about AEB system safety have continued to grow in recent months.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a report in January, showing that light-colored, reflective clothing intended to help pedestrians stand out to human drivers may actually make them less visible to automated crash prevention systems.

These findings came after a U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Tesla self-driving technology investigation was launched in October 2024, following four pedestrian accidents, one of which included a fatality. The NHTSA investigation focused on Tesla vehicles using Full Self-Driving features in areas with reduced roadway visibility, such as conditions caused by sun glare, fog or airborne dust.

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