Predictive AEB Activation for Secondary Collision Risk Reduction

Although the evaluation criteria of New Car Assessment Programs (NCAP) continue to evolve, they still predominantly focus on one-to-one collision scenarios. However, accident analyses indicate that in real-world traffic environments, particularly at intersections with multi-lane arterial roads, complex situations involving multiple vehicles are common, and there exists a significant risk of secondary side collisions occurring immediately after Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) activation. This study aims to predict and mitigate such secondary collision risks by proposing a control strategy that adjusts braking timing and stopping position based on the motion information of multiple crossing vehicles. A control algorithm was developed to estimate the likelihood of secondary collisions and determine optimal intervention parameters. The proposed system was evaluated using a sensor-equipped test vehicle and numerical simulations. Results demonstrated a tendency to reduce secondary collision occurrences in representative scenarios. The system not only prevents primary collisions but also proactively addresses secondary risks that may arise immediately after AEB activation. These findings suggest that incorporating multi-vehicle intersection scenarios into future NCAP evaluations would enable a more accurate and realistic assessment of AEB effectiveness in real-world traffic environments. The proposed approach contributes to the advancement of vehicle safety technologies and supports the development of more comprehensive and practical safety standards across the automotive industry.