AAA: Reverse Automatic Emergency Braking Systems Don't Work Well Enough
Of all the advanced driver assistance systems in the world, reverse automatic emergency braking (AEB) is my least favorite. Something about an alarm blaring and the vehicle violently braking for an unseen danger, which often does not exist, is not my idea of a fun day out. AAA doesn’t love the feature, either, and a recent study from the organization found that reverse AEB is only successful in preventing a tiny number of potential crashes.
AAA gave reverse AEB 40 attempts to work properly, finding that it only prevented one crash during testing, but it did at least brake 65 percent of the time. In a slightly better showing, reverse AEB prevented the vehicle from running over a child, braking 75 percent of the time and preventing half of the potential crashes.
While any prevented crash is a positive outcome, AAA said these stats are not good enough. “We were very surprised by the sort of lack of performance, or consistent performance, in the child pedestrian scenario,” said AAA’s director of automotive engineering, Greg Brannon. He went on to note that the systems need a universal standard and worried that drivers will become over-reliant on the technologies.
AAA is analyzing reverse AEB’s evolution from older technology to newer systems and said it’s looking “to understand if automakers are actually getting better at building systems that are more effective.” The tech has the potential to save thousands of lives as part of a well-functioning ADAS suite, but it has to work properly to make a difference.
[Image: Ground Picture via Shutterstock]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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I bought a 2019 Ram, new, and the first thing I did before I left the dealer lot was turn off all the electronic nannies. Kept the blind spot monitoring and the rear cross traffic alert, as I find those features handy. The truck supposedly can park itself, but turned that off as well. I don't miss any of it.
My Subaru Crosstrek - that has a manual transmission - just beeps if I'm getting too close to something while backing up. [or that 'something' is getting too close to me] It has saved me a few times. One time - that makes me laugh - is when it kept beeping and I couldn't see anything. It was driving me crazy. So I got out of the car to check. It was an older woman - a 'little person' [you know - the 'm-word'] that was standing just out of view of my mirrors and the rear view camera. I asked her to move away from the car a few feet and off I went.
Speaking of reverse, has anyone here seen my dear friend and lover Dennis Rodman?
I love it on my S60 even though it is false sometimes and makes my heart jump. But no matter how much head turning or mirrors there a parking lots and areas in my life where I cannot see even with the Rearview cam and/or people tend to step out behind a car.
Having had that happen and thought that someone was hurt( even though they were at fault) I am glad to have it in the new car.