Study Finds Cars With Lane Departure Systems Have More Accidents
A study finds that lane departure systems may not reduce accidents as they were designed to do. Other types of safety systems do work, however.
August 15, 2012
Automobile lane departure systems are designed to help motorists avoid accidents by warning them when they are straying out of their lanes. This is done through the use of radar, sensors and computer controls in the car. Although these systems were expected to reduce car accidents, a recent study shows that they may not be effective.According to a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), they found a 10 percent increase in car crashes for automobiles that contained lane departure technology. While it is unclear why this increase occurred, the IIHS surmises that it may not have anything to do with the technology at all; it believes the increase in accidents may actually be the result of people turning the systems off because they are annoyed by the warning sounds and vibration alerts. Also, the results could be a statistical anomaly since the sample size of the study was relatively small.
Other IIHS Findings
The IIHS also studied the effectiveness of other new automobile safety systems and found that they fared better than the lane departure technology. For example, there was a reduction in accidents associated with the use of swiveling headlights, which slightly turn as drivers turn their steering wheel. This allows motorists to see things in the road -- like pedestrians, parked cars and deer -- which they would not otherwise see with straight ahead headlights.
In addition, front collision avoidance systems, which are designed to sense that a collision is imminent and brake the car to soften the impact, received high marks in the study. IIHS found that damage to the front ends of cars that use this system were reduced by about 10 percent.
Have You Been in an Accident?
Car accidents can be devastating -- physically, emotionally and financially. If you have been injured in a car accident, you do not have to go through it alone. Contact a qualified personal injury attorney who can assess your case and let you know if you are eligible to receive compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering.
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