Never mind the occupants, the safest cars will soon protect pedestrians
Cars
The next big thing in automotive safety ratings actually could not care a less.
How well you fare inside the car.
The IAHS is adding a new [UNKNOWN] to its coveted top safety picks to reflects how will the car protects pedestrian.
Testing is done to estimate three scenarios.
On [UNKNOWN] crossing road, as cars approach about 12 and 25 miles an hour.
A child popping up from between part car again the cars at 12 and 25.
And an adult walking down the right hand shoulder with traffic.
With cars passing at 25 and 37 miles an hour.
That one simulates your drunk uncle stumbling home from the tavern.
Points are awarded based on how well the cars able to reduce its speed and avoid hitting the pedestrian as well as how well it tells the driver there's a pedestrian out there to avoid being hit.
Let's face it, we're not in the autonomous era yet so you gotta keep that driver looped in as early as possible.
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Now, why is the IIHS adding this facet to their battery of tests now?
One of them is a very urgent factoid.
Between 2009 and 17, we have seen a 45% increase in US pedestrian deaths from being hit by a car.
That way over indexes The 10% overall increase in auto fatalities across the same period.
Something's way out of line here.
Reason often cited for the spike include phones distracting drivers and pedestrians, a profusion of SUVs with taller front ends that impact your head and chest instead of your legs.
A third of fatalities, the pedestrian was drunk.
Secondly, affordable mainstream cars Now typically have the tech required to avoid pedestrians various forward sensors and automatic breaking software that is tied into those sensors, it's no longer just a luxury car thing.
Finally, there's been enough data gathered over the years this technology has been available, let's say the last decade or less that insurance can now predict they will see up to a third fewer pedestrian collision claims from cars that have this built in and never lose track of the fact that these Top Safety Pick ratings are not just about helping you find the right car there about twisting automakers arms to install technology that will reduce claims.
Now, a few vehicles have already been tested under this new pedestrian avoidance regimen in preparation for the full rollout.
The top scores went to the Honda CRV, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4, and Volvo's XC40.
They all got a score of Superior, it's as high as you can get.
And finally, the technology we're seeing now to avoid pedestrian collisions, well, impressive, is gonna see quite in a few years.
Riders are gonna start to proliferate as part of autonomy, but it's exceptionally good at spotting pedestrians at quite a distance, and even predicting what they're going to do next, and avoiding that trajectory.
And we're also seeing the lift that 5g will give this area.
Your 5g phone and the 5g cars out there in the future maybe able to do a v to x connection.
Where your phone is a beacon constantly telling all the cars around you, I'm here and maintain a distance around me.
Kinda of like a virtual cellular force field.
Those are not science fiction anymore.
