[RavenAvi]

In a move which is being seen as one of the auto industry's biggest safety measure since embracing Stability Control almost a decade ago, several major automotive makers have come together to develop automatic emergency braking and make it standard in the US.

Volkswagen and it's luxury division Audi, BMW, Ford Motor Co, General Motors Co, Mazda Motor Corp, Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz, Tesla Motors Inc, Toyota Motor Corp and Volvo AB have said that they will work with regulators and the insurance industry to roll out collision avoiding braking technology across their lineups over the next few years.

Analysts say it could still take years for automakers to redesign the electrical and braking systems of their cars to install autonomous braking. Among the automotive technology suppliers that could benefit are Continental AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Delphi Automotive Plc, Denso Corp and Autoliv Inc.

The agreement echoes earlier voluntary moves by big automakers. In the late 1980s, Chrysler began installing airbags in all its vehicles. In the 2000s, GM, Ford and others agreed to make anti-rollover technology standard on most sport utility vehicles. Stability control is now mandatory on light vehicles.

Only about 4 per cent of cars built in North America will have automatic emergency braking, according to the business information firm IHS Inc. Toyota said earlier this year said that by the end of 2017 it would offer such systems in option packages for nearly all its models, with the technology packages ranging from $300 to about $500.

I hope this comes to Asian countries soon as well, specially India. God knows we need it, with the kind of traffic we have.

ET Auto

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

I hope this comes to Asian countries soon as well, specially India. God knows we need it, with the kind of traffic we have

Thank you for sharing Avi!

In India we do not have ABS compulsory yet for our cars or bikes. Forget about traction control and more advanced technologies etc,etc. In my opinion no one should be buying a vehicle without ABS as a bare minimum.

Manufacturers do not want to offer anything (mostly) as standard fitment since it would drive up costs and our stupid public do not realize that these are life saving aids - they want to buy the lowest model possible. In a country where a lot of people do not even realize the importance of tyres what else can be said.

Just look at the silly government mandate which is supposedly coming into effect from 2016 or 2017, where they want to make ABS compulsory for two wheeler's whose engine capacity exceeds 125cc or 150cc (don't recall exactly). As if somebody cannot get killed/injured on a lower capacity bike/scooter where ABS may be a life saving aid.

For all these kind of enhanced safety aids to come into India (on a broad basis) requires a shift in thought patterns which I sadly and strongly feel will not come about in our lifetimes at least.

Cheers

[GTO]

Wasn't aware this is becoming such a big movement. Thanks for sharing, RavenAvi! I used to think that automatic braking will remain restricted to cars like the S-Class / Volvos. The fact that a mass market manufacturer like Toyota intends to offer it in nearly all its models says to me that:

1. Car manufacturers are convinced.

2. The system has matured.

The agreement echoes earlier voluntary moves by big automakers. In the late 1980s, Chrysler began installing airbags in all its vehicles. In the 2000s, GM, Ford and others agreed to make anti-rollover technology standard on most sport utility vehicles. Stability control is now mandatory on light vehicles.

Don't agree with this comparison. Airbags, ESP, ABS etc. are technologies for functions that the driver couldn't emulate. Automatic braking, however, is a substitute for a careless / distracted / incompetent driver.

[prakhar1998]

Originally Posted by GTO

Don't agree with this comparison. Airbags, ESP, ABS etc. are technologies for functions that the driver couldn't emulate. Automatic braking, however, is a substitute for a careless / distracted / incompetent driver.

I would disagree. There are instances when it is impossible for a driver's response timing to bring a car to halt. However, these systems can help bridge that response time lag, and bring the car to a safe halt. Hence, autonomous braking technologies can certainly be clubbed with other features such as ABS, airbags and ESP because it is a driver aid that makes the car, and the road around it safer.

[johannskaria]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

In a move which is being seen as one of the auto industry's biggest safety measure since embracing Stability Control almost a decade ago, several major automotive makers have come together to develop automatic emergency braking and make it standard in the US.

I hope this comes to Asian countries soon as well, specially India. God knows we need it, with the kind of traffic we have.

Originally Posted by Cyborg

For all these kind of enhanced safety aids to come into India (on a broad basis) requires a shift in thought patterns which I sadly and strongly feel will not come about in our lifetimes at least.

Cheers

Originally Posted by GTO

Don't agree with this comparison. Airbags, ESP, ABS etc. are technologies for functions that the driver couldn't emulate. Automatic braking, however, is a substitute for a careless / distracted / incompetent driver.

The automatic emergency braking fitted vehicles has resulted in lower insurance claims as per the IIHS survey's in US.

Hopefully they will result in lower insurance premiums when they come to India thereby nullifying the system cost over the car's lifetime. If it happens so, I personally see no harm in having a foolproof system in our car which will enhance the safety of pedestrians and occupants !

All other safety systems which are popular in market and is part of Indian government plan of making cars safer are Passive safety systems ( refers to features that help reduce the effects of an accident, such as seat belts, airbags and strong body structures) . But in my opinion we need more of Active safety systems like automatic emergency braking that avoids accidents. And policies and awareness should accommodate and combine both active and passive systems. At the end of the day if insurers pass on the benefit to consumers , we all can have a better life!

[acurafan]

I think this was kind of expected after the EuroNCAP announcement last year. According to EuroNCAP, automatic emergency braking will be one of the important factors for 5 star safety ratings from 2018. So,most automakers were planning for it anyway. Now the same design will move to US market

[psispace]

Originally Posted by johannskaria

The automatic emergency braking fitted vehicles has resulted in lower insurance claims as per the IIHS survey's in US.

Hopefully they will result in lower insurance premiums when they come to India thereby nullifying the system cost over the car's lifetime.

Volvo cars in India already have lower insurance premiums compared to their counterparts courtesy their safety systems.
So it can be expected that insurance companies will lower premiums for other similarly equipped cars.

In Europe, certain models form Subaru, Mazda, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Honda and Volkswagen already have similar systems as option. Albeit with different nomenclatures. These may not be equally effective but they are a step in the right direction. This technology is going to be common very soon.
Even the humble (not so humble here) Polo has the Adaptive Cruise Control with Front Assist and City Emergency Braking as a £500 option in UK.

In India, therein lies the problem. Right now I can't imagine all Polo owners shelling that kind of money for active safety systems. To introduce these systems cost effectively in the mass market will require government and legislative support. Possibly subsidies for equipment and electronics that these systems are based on, can bring costs down.

[acurafan]

Originally Posted by psispace

In Europe, certain models form Subaru, Mazda, Chrysler, Mitsubishi, Honda and Volkswagen already have similar systems as option. Albeit with different nomenclatures. These may not be equally effective but they are a step in the right direction. This technology is going to be common very soon.
Even the humble (not so humble here) Polo has the Adaptive Cruise Control with Front Assist and City Emergency Braking as a £500 option in UK.

Yes, wishing that day comes soon enough. Recently I was looking to buy a new car as my previous car was totaled after a rear-end collision which could have been easily averted if the offending driver had AEB. Even though I was looking to buy a car with active ADAS feature installed, it was hard to find a car that had them. This is in short my unsuccessful search for that car:
a) Subaru: I was looking for Subaru Legacy with Eye-sight enabled. The nearest dealer that had a 2015 model in stock was 500 miles from where I lived. I could have bought Subaru Outback but I don't like how big that car has become and I was not going to buy a SUV to get safety features.
b) Acura: AEB is available only in TLX v6-Advanced package. I test drove one and the AEB performance was quite iffy and couple of times it was little scary when I was driving on twisty two lane roads with oncoming traffic. This is inherently the problem with RADAR based AEBs as it does not really understand the context.
c) BMW: In 3 series Drivers Assistance Plus package has basic ADAS features but there was only two cars that had that package and they only had Lane Departure warning and Traffic sign recognition and low speed braking. I didn't want to spend $50K to get such rudimentary features.
d) Volvo: I was sold on S60 Platinum trim and was ready to pull the plug. I guess only a bad salesman could make me not lease it. Volvo was offering $325 pm deal for their Premium trim and raised the lease value to $487 for the platinum version although difference of price between their trims in the store was less than $1500 due to various incentives. When I showed my calculation the lease payment should be less than $485 they refused to budge.
e) Hyundai: Genesis with technology package had all the bells and whistle and it is a really nice car. You got to ask my wife why we didn't lease it

May be in 2018 when we have the first flood of five star safety rated cars hitting the Europe and US, I will have a better choice of buying the car with active safety.

[georgesraju]

Leave aside luxury cars, the mainstream Chevrolet Impala started featuring automatic braking as an option from the 2014 model year in the US, which means, around 2 years back. It is no surprise if they have plans to start giving it as a standard feature.

[StarrySky]

Originally Posted by GTO

Don't agree with this comparison. Airbags, ESP, ABS etc. are technologies for functions that the driver couldn't emulate. Automatic braking, however, is a substitute for a careless / distracted / incompetent driver.

It need not be incompetence or carelessness of the driver, but the stupidity of someone else on the road that might warrant an emergency braking. Or what if the driver is unable to brake due to a sudden unfortunate health issue while being at the wheel?

It's not just autonomous braking, but most of these systems also prepare the brakes for emergency braking and can also boost the braking power when it "foresees" an emergency braking situation. This would be helpful for even an alert driver in case of an emergency, just like ABS.

My car is equipped with AEB system and the first level warning (warning beep and message on MID) has triggered 2-3 times in the 5 months since I got the car. Each time, I was fully alert and in full control of the situation (no panic braking needed), but the warning had flashed a second before I started braking. So in my experience, the system is a tiny bit faster than a fully alert "normal" driver (not racing driver ). It could be crucial in a real emergency situation.

However, most of the systems promise to only reduce the severity of the crash and not totally prevent collisions. Euro NCAP test videos show that crashes are not prevented especially when braking situation is triggered at higher speeds (>50kmph).

[acurafan]

Originally Posted by StarrySky

My car is equipped with AEB system and the first level warning (warning beep and message on MID) has triggered 2-3 times in the 5 months since I got the car. Each time, I was fully alert and in full control of the situation (no panic braking needed), but the warning had flashed a second before I started braking. So in my experience, the system is a tiny bit faster than a fully alert "normal" driver (not racing driver ). It could be crucial in a real emergency situation.

+1, to this. I drive occasionally a car with prototype ADAS devices and the machine always is quicker than human. It is not just good in predicting the distance to collision but also the rate of closing in. Many times it has beeped early, so that one can even brake smoothly. Most cars in the market do rely only on Long Range RADAR for this implementation due to cost reasons but I have found that the vision based AEBs to outperform the RADAR based AEBs quite handily.

[volkman10]

40 Countries ( Barring India, US & China )Agree Cars Must Have Automatic Braking .

The regulation will require all vehicles sold to come equipped with the technology by which sensors monitor how close a pedestrian or object might be. The system can trigger the brakes automatically if a collision is deemed imminent and if the driver doesn't appear set to respond in time.

Link

[mn2363]

Originally Posted by GTO

...
Automatic braking, however, is a substitute for a careless/ distracted/ incompetent driver.

Agree 100%.

Since the last few years I've been coming across an alarming number of multi-car collisions in slow paced/ rush-hour/ city traffic - under perfect weather & visibility conditions.

Originally Posted by volkman10

40 Countries (Barring India, US & China) Agree Cars Must Have Automatic Braking...

From the link @nyt

The measure will apply to vehicles at "low speeds": 60 kilometers per hour (42 mph) or less...

Seems specifically intended for 'careless/ distracted/ incompetent driver(s)'.

The United States, China and India are members of the U.N. forum that adopted the new regulations. However, they did not take part in the negotiations because they want to ensure that their national regulations keep precedence over U.N. rules when it comes to the auto industry.

Hopefully it just means the technicalities like speeds & dates of implementation etc. would be formulated independently.

[Jeroen]

It would be interesting to see how this would work in India with bumper to bumper traffic. no matter what the speed.

On my cars that have adaptive cruise control even on the most aggressive setting (closest following distance) plenty of rooms for cars to cut in between.

Obviously, an automatic braking system would cut in at even shorter distance, but it tends to be speed depended as well. With bumper to bumper traffic in cities doing 20-30 km/h you are likely to be in constant emergency braking mode!

Jeroen

[sgiitk]

I am not too sure it is a good idea. Remember the adage,' The biggest nut in a car is the one behind the wheel'. I can think of umpteen situations where the auto- system may not work.

So I do not welcome it with an open heart as many of our colleagues are.