How good is Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) at preventing accidents?

AEB technology consists of  front facing cameras and various sensors that will automatically make your car break when an accident is imminent. However if your are behind the wheels of a vehicle equipped with AEB, you should be aware that this new technology is only reliable in specific cases.

Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) is now standard equipment in almost every new car. Starting September 2022, the 20 automakers representing 99% of the US market have pledged to integrate AEB technology in all their new cars.

Recently AAA released the results of an in-depth study that includes testing with 4 different car models and found that while AEB is a technology that should definitely be used in every car, it is reliable only in some specific situations and  needs to be developed further.

AEB great at preventing rear-end crashes when driving at a speed of 30 mph and below…

AAA found that AEB are particularly performant in preventing rear ending accidents during which a vehicle is driven at a 30 mph speed. Out of 20 crash tests, AEB worked in 17 of them.  However as soon as the speed increases the braking technology performance declines. Tests show that as soon as a vehicle drove at 40 mph, AEB prevented a rear end crash only in 6 tests out of 20. However when a crash occurred, the impact speed was reduced by 62%.

.. but does work for T-bone and left turn accidents

Because AEB works with rear front camera, the technology is useless at preventing T-bone and left turn in front of on-coming vehicle accidents. In these type of tests, crashes occurred at each test.

T-bones and left turns in front of oncoming vehicles are the most deadly car accidents, therefore AAA recommends that car manufacturers continue to improve AEB technology and focus on designing systems that better handle crashes that have the highest risk of resulting in serious injury and death.

Read the press release from AAA