Car safety is a major concern for most car buyers, and accidents involving pedestrians are rising. Detection is an advanced safety system designed to alert a driver to a pedestrian in the path of (or near the path of) their vehicle. Many car manufacturers are now making this device standard in their vehicles.
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But how does pedestrian detection technology work?
How Pedestrian Detection Technology in Cars Work
Pedestrian detection works using a combination of cameras, radar, and lidar sensors. These systems monitor a vehicle’s surroundings and should allow the driver and car to react appropriately.
Cameras look for objects in the path of the car, and some look for people who may cross in front of the vehicle. The radar sends a radio wave out and measures the time it takes to bounce off an object and return. Lidar works the same way but uses light.
Some pedestrian detection systems cooperate with automatic emergency braking systems, which automatically apply brakes when a driver doesn’t react in time. Some vehicles come with city-speed automatic emergency braking, and fewer come with high-speed automatic emergency braking. Rear automatic emergency braking is also available in some cars.
Issue With this Driver Safety Technology
Experts reported on the effectiveness of pedestrian detection technology. They noted that AAA had tested a variety of vehicles and situations where pedestrian detection technology was necessary to prevent a crash.
The tests found that a daylight crash with an adult in front of the car was avoided only 40% of the time at 20 MPH. If the test car had just made a right turn at 15 MPH, a crash was never avoided.
When the test vehicle encountered two adults on the side of the road at 20 MPH, an accident occurred 80 per cent of the time.
Things were worse when the tests involved children. A test that simulated a child running out from between two cars still resulted in a crash 89 per cent of the time when the test vehicle was travelling at 20 MPH. A collision was never avoided when the test vehicle travelled at 30 MPH.
It Is Unreliable at Night
According to the experts, most accidents involving pedestrians occur at night, 75%. Testing found that pedestrian detection technology was completely ineffective at night. This is especially alarming, considering some people become dependent on the technology alerting them to a person in the path of their car.
Should I Still Go For a Car with Pedestrian Technology?
So, pedestrian detection technology isn’t perfect. It’s far from it. Does that mean you don’t need it? Experts say that if you’re shopping for a new vehicle, you should look for a car with pedestrian detection technology.
Pedestrian detection technology is becoming more common; in 2019, one-third of new vehicles came standard, and another one-third had it as an option. Consumer Reports also says that car shoppers should look for forward-collision warnings and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and blind spot detection.
Conclusion
The most important thing to remember is that pedestrian detection technology shouldn’t replace a driver’s awareness. Anytime a person is behind the wheel of a vehicle, they should pay attention to their surroundings. Drive like there is no pedestrian detection technology; hopefully, you won’t need to use it.
