Toronto, Ontario — A recent report on the Progression of Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) Technology from the American Automobile Association (AAA) reveals that newer vehicle models tested are now able to avoid collisions 100 percent of the time at speeds up to 60 kilometres per hour.
The report specifically aims to assess the performance of older-generation AEB technology in comparison to the current generation to determine if there is a measurable improvement. AAA found that late-model vehicles tested–2024 and newer–were nearly twice as likely to avoid a collision as early-model vehicles, those made in 2017 and 2018.
At slower test speeds of 20 kilometres per hour, the early model vehicles performed well and avoided 73 percent of collisions when evaluated at slightly higher test speeds. However, this collision avoidance performance dropped to 47 percent at 40 kilometres and only 33 percent at 60 kilometres.
All testing for the report focused on preventing forward-motion, and rear-end collisions with a stationary vehicle at various speeds under identical test conditions. As such, vehicles that avoided a collision at lower test speeds were evaluated at higher test speeds.
Here, three out of four vehicles evaluated were also able to avoid a collision at 70 kilometres per hour. The test speed was then increased to 88 kilometres per hour, however, none of the remaining vehicles tested could avoid a collision, which resulted in either an aborted test run due to vehicle performance or an impact with the soft car target vehicle.
The report continues that it is important to explore the range of AEB technology as “in 2029, new legislation will require vehicle manufacturers to make AEB standard in all new passenger vehicles and light trucks. According to the new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard, FMVSS No. 127, AEB is expected to save at least 360 lives and prevent more than 24,000 injuries annually.”
Moreover, “starting in 2029, FMVSS No. 127 will mandate that all new passenger vehicles be capable of stopping to avoid contact with the vehicle in front of them at speeds up to 100 kilometres per hour.”
To see AAA’s full report, click here.
