Crash involvement rates in lane-change crashes of all severity types were 14 percent lower among vehicles equipped with blind spot monitoring compared to those without.

Insurance Institute for Highway Safety analysis of police-reported crash data in 26 U.S. states from 2009–2015.

Date Posted
08/30/2018
Identifier
2018-B01291
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Effects of blind spot monitoring systems on police-reported lane-change crashes

Summary Information

The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of blind spot monitoring systems in preventing police-reported lane-change crashes.



METHODOLOGY



Poisson regression was used to compare crash involvement rates between vehicles with blind spot monitoring and the same vehicle models without the optional system. Factors that affect crash risk were included as control variables. Crash rates were compared by insured vehicle year in police-reported lane-change crashes in 26 states during the period of 2009-2015.

FINDINGS

Crash involvement rates for lane-change crashes of all severity types were 14 percent lower among vehicles with blind spot warning systems compared to those without .

If every U.S. passenger vehicle in 2015 had been equipped with a blind spot monitoring system with performance similar to those of the study vehicles, about 50,000 police-reported crashes could have been prevented.