Euro NCAP Releases Results of Autonomous Emergency Braking Systems Availability Survey

Euro NCAP has published the results of its survey on the availability of Autonomous Emergency Braking systems (AEB) in Europe and has revealed that the assessment programme will include AEB technologies in its star rating from 2014. Real world performance data suggests AEB systems can reduce accidents by up to 27%. Although the introduction of these active safety technologies is reducing road deaths and injuries, the availability of AEB in Europe is far from standardized. A recent survey undertaken by Euro NCAP reveals that AEB is completely unavailable on 79% of the car models on sale in Europe and that 66% of manufacturers do not offer an AEB system on any of their new car models. Autonomous Emergency Braking systems can help to avoid crashes or to mitigate their severity by warning the driver and supporting his braking response and/or by applying the brakes independently. The technology generally uses forward-looking radar, lidar and video systems to provide a complete, accurate, real-time image of the road ahead. Since 2010, several car manufacturers have been recognized for the safety benefits of their AEB systems through Euro NCAP Advanced rewards. Available video includes edited packages about AEB systems.