The IIHS wants to improve trucking safety regulations with a new forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking system that can revolutionize truck safety.
These advanced safety technologies are reshaping the landscape of large truck accidents. If the findings become large truck regulations, they will have an impact on your safety on the road.
If you or a family member has been involved in a truck accident in San Antonio, don't hesitate to seek the guidance of a skilled San Antonio truck accident lawyer to protect your rights and pursue the compensation you deserve.
What is the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety?
For over six decades, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has been at the forefront of automotive safety, championing its mission to create safer roads for everyone.
Established in 1959, the IIHS has been a driving force in reducing large truck crashes, saving lives, and curbing property damage through its impactful recommendations that often shape state vehicle laws.
The IIHS is renowned for its crash safety ratings, seat belt laws, and various testing programs, becoming an authoritative voice in the automotive world.
This powerhouse organization's most recent focus in 2021 is investigating how advanced safety technologies, like forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking systems, can revolutionize large truck safety on our roads.
Their cutting-edge research seeks to improve the protection of not just large truck occupants, but also passengers in smaller vehicles.
By delving into critical factors such as rear underride guards and distracted driving, the IIHS aims to tackle the troubling rise in deaths involving large trucks.
Through their groundbreaking studies, including IIHS crash tests and underride crash investigations, they shed light on the vulnerability of passenger vehicle occupants in crashes with large trucks.
These insights fuel new federal regulations, influence vehicle design, and advocate for advanced crash avoidance systems that can save lives.
By analyzing data on crash rates, fatalities, and injury risks, the IIHS has become a trusted resource for policymakers, safety professionals, and consumers seeking to make informed choices when selecting vehicles.
In their pursuit of enhanced truck safety, and the studying of common causes of truck accidents, the IIHS has petitioned the federal government to mandate side underride guards on large trucks, as they found these devices to be immensely effective in preventing fatalities.
As the IIHS continues its vital work, it serves as a beacon of hope, driving change, and ensuring that our roads become safer for all travelers.
The research they conduct will undoubtedly shape the future of truck safety, inspire further innovations, and pave the way toward a world where lives are preserved and tragedies are minimized on our highways.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) concluded its latest study on trucking safety technology.
Alongside their findings, the non-profit safety organization recommends that the federal government adopt new commercial trucking safety standards.
The IIHS research team recently focused on two developing technologies in the automotive world, forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking.
The team found that these technologies could potentially save hundreds of lives.
New large truck crash avoidance technologies
The IIHS wanted to know if special warning and emergency braking systems, such as forward collision warning (FCW) and automatic emergency braking (AEB) could make big trucks safer.
The researchers looked at data from trucks on highways between 2017 and 2019.
The IIHS found out that these systems work. FCW reduced the number of reported crashes by 22% and rear-end crashes by 44%. AEB also helped a lot, with an overall 12% reduction in crashes and a 41% decrease in rear-end crashes.
FCW gave warnings in about one-third of rear-end crashes, while AEB stepped in to stop crashes in 43% of cases.
These systems were so good that they reduced the speed of the truck by more than half before a crash happened.
There were some small improvements in other types of crashes, like sideswipes and road departures. As more trucks get equipped with these systems, truck safety will get even better.
Some trucks can even get retrofitted with these systems, so deaths in large truck crashes can be reduced in older trucks.
The IIHS recommends that the federal government adopt new commercial trucking regulations that require the systems on all new trucks.
These regulations follow in the footsteps of a European Union mandate that requires new systems.
Many American fleet operators currently include the safety tech on their new trucks already.
Is the technology reliable enough?
Some trucking organizations do not fully agree with the IIHS findings. The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association thinks the IIHS overlooked a driver’s experience and safety record and training.
The American Automobile Association does not believe the tech works reliably enough to require on all new trucks.
The IIHS maintains that the systems still prevent crashes and save lives.
According to the most recent data compiled by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, 622 people died in large truck accidents on Texas roads, making Texas the deadliest state for large truck crashes with fatalities.
The IIHS study revealed that trucks equipped with forward collision warnings had 22% fewer crashes, which has made a difference.
Contact a San Antonio truck accident lawyer
If you have suffered injuries because of a large truck accident, a lawyer can help.
A local truck accident attorney in San Antonio familiar with Texas trucking laws can assess your case, work with insurance adjusters, draft a comprehensive settlement agreement, or file a lawsuit on your behalf.
Call 210-625-3142 to schedule a free consultation and to find out if Wyatt Law Group is the right law firm for you.