Automatic-braking systems may get scored by Uncle Sam during a future round of government safety tests. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has submitted a proposal to test and rate this crash-avoidance technology to better differentiate the effectiveness of the systems currently on sale.
Specifically, NHTSA wants to create “repeatable performance tests and procedures to ensure a certain level of performance”—or essentially expand upon what the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, a private group funded by insurance companies, has been conducting since late 2013. In its latest test of 24 vehicles, the IIHS looked at how well automatic-braking technologies could reduce speeds by at least five mph at 12 mph and also at 25 mph. Vehicles that react the quickest and can come to a complete stop earn more points. The ratings, divided into three categories, were the first to bring a wheel-to-wheel comparison of this feature. Most notably, the IIHS found that the Subaru Legacy, equipped with that company’s EyeSight camera system, performed as well as a BMW 5-series and stopped more effectively than many other luxury cars. Undoubtedly, a few Japanese and German automakers were not happy.
When NHTSA last overhauled its safety ratings in 2011, it set minimal requirements for forward-collision alerts (they must activate in five of seven tests in three scenarios). The automatic-braking tests promise to go further. The agency wants to simulate seven potential road dangers that can lead to rear-end collisions, including a stationary vehicle ahead, a slower-moving vehicle, a braking vehicle, a vehicle braking to a complete stop, as well as false positives (such as a steel plate in the road) intended to fool the cameras and sensors. Ideally, speeds would run between 25 mph and 45 mph and also include a duplicate set of tests to evaluate panic brake assists (the systems on many new cars that automatically apply 100-percent braking force if the driver slams the pedal).
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Automakers have until March 30 to submit comments, at which point the agency will formalize testing procedures and some sort of rating system. The agency turned down an ABC grading scale from past proposals, and it’s unclear whether automakers will be required to conduct the tests or if the agency will do so independently. Likely, as with most testing for crashes and EPA fuel-economy ratings, NHTSA will only audit a small percentage of the available vehicles each year.
from Car and Driver Blog http://ift.tt/1zCg8KP
via Agya
