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New Vehicle Tech Designed To Stop Pedestrian Deaths

Car companies are testing technology that can stop a vehicle faster than the driver can react. Some companies are succeeding while others aren't.

When you’re walking, you might see a passing car, but does the car see you?

How quickly a driver reacts is the difference between making it home safely or getting injured or killed. A few extra seconds of reaction time is truly life or death.

"In 2017 alone, there were almost 6000 pedestrian deaths,” said David Aylor, IIHS Active Safety Testing Manager.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said pedestrian fatalities are up 45% since 2009 and reducing these kinds of crashes is a top priority.

To save lives, they’re testing pedestrian auto-brake systems on small SUVs. The camera and radar technology detects people on foot, alerts the driver and applies the brakes if the driver doesn’t.

Highest marks went to the 2018-19 Honda CR-V, the 2019 Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV-4 and Volvo XC40.

“The most effective way to prevent injuries and fatalities is to avoid the crash completely,” said Aylor. “And these systems warn driver and either mitigate or avoid a crash with a pedestrian.”

Some of the most common pedestrian hazards were tested including an adult entering the street in the path of a vehicle and a child darting into traffic from between parked cars.

The worst performer tested was the BMW X1. “It either didn't break or didn't mitigate the speed enough for us to give it points,” said Aylor.

The Institute is encouraging manufacturers to equip more cars with the technology and to make it standard.

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