Analyzing the potential benefits of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) if widely deployed in Sweden.
Sweden
Head-on collisions between passenger cars and heavy goods vehicles: Injury risk functions and benefits of Autonomous Emergency Braking
Summary Information
This study examined the safety benefits of implementing autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems to improve braking time for heavy goods vehicles (HGV) and passenger cars involved in head-on collisions in Sweden. The study was limited to assessing an AEB design where the intended function was to detect an oncoming vehicle as it passed centerline markings and activated full braking power when a head-on crash was unavoidable.
METHOD
Based on crash data that show AEB equipped vehicles have less impact velocity than non-AEB equipped vehicles, researchers calculated associated risk differences for potential injury to vehicle occupants in terms of moderate and severe injuries (MAIS2+) and then applied these findings to a government crash statistics database to estimate safety benefits in Sweden.
RESULTS
- Potential annual reduction of MAIS2+ injuries would be approximately 52 percent if AEB were installed on HGV vehicles only,
- Potential annual reduction of MAIS2+ injuries would be approximately 73 percent if AEB were installed on both HGV and passenger cars.
- The total number of MAIS2+ injuries in Car-to-HGV crashes per year in Sweden was estimated at 100 which would correspond to approximately 10 percent of all MAIS2+ injuries in passenger cars.
- AEB has potential to reduce 4 and 6 percent, respectively of all MAIS2+ injuries in passenger cars annually in Sweden.
