Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) are becoming popular features in new vehicles being sold in Southern California. Some examples of such features include lane assist, automatic emergency braking, rear collision warning systems and blind spot detection, among others. It is a big market, expected to grow from $27 billion in 2020 to $83 billion in the next 10 years.
Do ADAS reduce the number of car crashes in the U.S.?
Do these features really make driving safer? One report states due to ADAS vehicles, there is a 27% reduction in the amount of legal claims made for bodily injury and a 19% reduction in the amount of legal claims made for property damage. In addition, research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that the number of crashes involving automobiles with blind-spot monitoring was 14% lower than crashes involving the same types of vehicles that did not have the blind-spot monitoring feature.
However, these features are not perfect. For example, when travelling on a multi-lane highway a vehicle with an automatic brake feature may misread cars in the next lane over as being about to cause a collision, unnecessarily slowing the vehicle down, which could lead to accidents. And, if the features are turned off by the driver, they will not operate, potentially leading to more collisions.
Vehicles with ADAS can still cause accidents leading to lawsuits
So, car accidents involving vehicles with ADAS can still occur. Motorists in Southern California have a duty to operate their vehicles in a manner that is safe under the circumstances and should not rely entirely on ADAS to prevent crashes. If a motorist breaches their duty of care, and this breach actually and proximately causes a car accident that causes another person to suffer damages, the accident victim may be able to pursue compensation from the at-fault driver. Such compensation can go a long way to helping accident victims cover medical bills, lost wages and pain and suffering, allowing them the financial means they need to move forward following the crash. Contact our firm immediately for more information on how we can help with your car accident case.
