Crash avoidance technology helps the driver to avoid a crash in the first place. Today, every auto manufacturer in the world has the opportunity to make their vehicles safer for consumers using crash avoidance technology. Below are a few examples of crash avoidance technologies that are available to manufacturers today:

• Forward Collision Warning Systems systems provide visual, audible, and/or tactile alerts to warn a driver of an impending collision with a car or object directly in its forward path.
  
  
• Automatic Emergency Braking Systems identify when a collision is about to occur, and respond by autonomously activating the brakes to slow a vehicle before impact or bring it to a complete stop before a collision
  
  
• Intelligent Cruise Control measures the distance from the vehicle ahead and automatically slows to maintain a pre-set following distance
  
  
• Lane Departure Warning alerts drivers if their vehicle begins to drift out of their lane, which can be particularly useful for aiding with blind spot detection in real-time
  
  
• Pedestrian Detection Systems use sensors to identify human movement on the road, including cyclists, to alert drivers to a vulnerable, moving object and avoid a collision
  
  
• Cross Traffic Alert Systems sense traffic that may cross the path of a vehicle as it reverses or moves forward

Crash Avoidance Technology failures come in two different forms:

1. Failure to Equip

   Just because companies can (and should) put this life-saving safety technology on their vehicles does not mean that they do. Unfortunately, many vehicles are on the road today that manufacturers chose not to equip with CAT. These vehicles include massive, heavy trucks with a propensity to cause catastrophic accidents even when traveling at relatively low speeds. Auto manufacturers are responsible for their decisions not to make their vehicles safe. Ask yourself: were the vehicles involved in this crash equipped with adequate and available safety technology?

2. Defective Crash Avoidance Technology System

   Even if a vehicle is equipped, the technology can fail due to a design defect or improper installation. When this happens, the technology does not avoid crashes, and people are hurt or killed. Auto manufacturers and repair dealerships are responsible for ensuring the technology is properly designed and properly maintained. Dealerships should recalibrate the customer’s forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking to ensure the radar is working properly. Unfortunately, this does not always happen.

   Analyzing CAT cases requires time, experience, and resources. If you think you may have a claim involving a Crash Avoidance Technology failure, give us a call today.