Safety ratings to accelerate DAS adoption

Guest editorial by Tristan Honeywill, Freelance Automotive Journalist

Even the best drivers are not immune to human error or bad luck: a glance away from the road is all it takes. Most of the time our momentary losses of concentration have no consequences, but a split-second distraction at the wrong moment can mean you miss the car ahead braking, fail to see a vehicle in your blind spot or a drift towards the white line.

Technologies that can detect these danger signs, alert the driver and, if necessary, intervene, have enormous potential to reduce the number of accidents and casualties on our roads. Early research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the US estimated that if every vehicle on the road were fitted with four active safety technologies – forward collision warning, lane departure warning, blind spot detection and adaptive headlights – nearly a third of all crashes could be prevented or mitigated.

Autonomous braking

The general consensus among safety researchers is that benefits appear to be greatest for forward collision avoidance systems that have the ability to brake the vehicle autonomously. For car manufacturers seeking the greatest effect on their safety ratings, these should be a real priority.

In Europe, Euro NCAP is changing the way that it rates new cars, awarding points for fitment of autonomous emergency braking and lane departure warning technologies from 2014. The scoring system is complex, but the conclusion is simple. Within just a few years, it will be practically impossible to achieve a five-star rating without autonomous emergency braking on board.

As a result, Euro NCAP’s secretary-general, Michiel van Ratingen, expects camera-based systems to quickly become standard-fit on vehicles.  “Every mobile phone and tablet PC now has at least one camera, often two,” he says. “It is easy to imagine that within a few years every new car will have at least one camera. It will then be relatively easy to establish the most effective set-up for these systems.”

Increased fitment

Euro NCAP expects fitment rates for the high-speed radar systems to increase a little more gradually. Even so, in 2014 a five-star Euro NCAP rating will require fitment rates of 50 percent across the EU’s 27 member states and in 2015, it will rise to 70 percent. It will be interesting to see which manufacturers are brave enough to offer customers a car with just a four-star safety rating.

In the USA, the IIHS is also planning incentives for manufacturers to fit the technology: “Forward collision warning systems and especially those with autonomous braking are the next big thing,” says IIHS president Adrian Lund. “We’re planning to include these technologies in our Top Safety Pick recommendations so that they are recognized. Automakers like to be able to advertise the fact that they’re one of our Top Safety Picks.”

Lane departure warnings are the logical next step in active safety strategies and policy. The early indications from US insurance claims were less than conclusive when it came to the real-world benefits, but Euro NCAP is committed to promoting the technology’s adoption. Euro NCAP believes that once it is fitted on more vehicles, improving its effectiveness will be far simpler. “Including lane departure warnings in our ratings also provides an added incentive to put a camera in the vehicle and to use it for emergency braking,” says van Ratingen.

Pedestrian identification

The next big step will then be systems that provide pedestrian protection. The technical challenges involved in identifying pedestrians and whether they are at risk are greater. Euro NCAP will start assessing daytime systems in 2016. Van Ratingen recognizes that night vision and systems that recognize cyclists are much more complex, but says they are on the agenda.

At the moment, there are no concrete plans to make any of these technologies mandatory for light vehicles in the USA or Europe and most consumers still have no idea that they exist. That should change as volumes increase and the effect on the accident statistics becomes more evident. The early adopters will seek the technologies out in dealerships and regulatory requirements will follow soon after.

Other major markets will not be far behind. The base technology for such systems, anti-lock braking, is fitted to around 80 percent of new vehicles globally. The next step in the chain, electronic stability control, is likely to reach 100 percent fitment in major markets such as China, India and Brazil by the end of the decade.

On the horizon

With emerging market manufacturers ambitious to become global players and consumers expecting the same technologies as elsewhere, autonomous emergency braking systems may not be a priority yet, but are definitely on the horizon.

At present, car companies are able to produce global models that provide very different levels of passive and active safety, depending on the local market. That does not seem sustainable in the long term.

About the author
Tristan Honeywill is a freelance journalist who covers automotive technology. His writing appears in automotive engineering and business titles around the world, including Automotive Engineer and AutomotiveWorld.com. He has edited technical magazines and customer publications in Europe and China.