With the help of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, drivers in New York may reduce their risk for a traffic accident. That includes not only crashes with other cars but also collisions with pedestrians and bicyclists. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration has attested to the benefits of ADAS, and a 2018 study from J.D. Power confirms them with statistics.
Over half of the participants said that ADAS helped them avoid a collision before they had even driven their new vehicle for 90 days. Blind spot alert was the most frequently cited system (49%), followed by backup cameras and parking sensors (42%). As a side note, NHTSA requires backup cameras on all newly manufactured vehicles in the U.S.
The study lastly mentions automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning with 35% crediting one or the other with preventing a crash. The former can alert drivers to a forward collision and automatically brake when drivers do not. The latter determines crash risk based on factors like how fast one is approaching the rear of a vehicle.
Pedestrian detection and braking systems also exist, and these pick up not only people but also large animals. Then there are well-known devices like adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning, which notifies a driver to use the turn signal before changing lanes.
ADAS cannot prevent a motor vehicle accidents without the driver’s cooperation, naturally. When drivers are too distracted or impaired to cooperate, or when they neglect to use ADAS altogether, they will be to blame for any accidents. In this state, one can file a claim against a negligent driver even if one was partially to blame. It all depends on the degree of fault, which the courts will determine. Victims may want a lawyer, then, as they strive for a fair amount in damages.