Safety Impacts of Active Safety and Driving Automation Features

Advanced technologies that assist the human driver or reduce (or even eliminate) the human driver’s role are becoming increasingly prevalent in new light-duty vehicles used by the general public. These technologies are divided between Active Safety features that monitor the human driver and vehicle motion and act intermittently to mitigate and avoid crashes, and Driving Automation features that assume some or all of the dynamic driving task from the human driver. Both types of technologies have the potential to reduce injuries and save lives by reducing the frequency and/or severity of crashes.

Safety Impacts of Active Safety and Driving Automation Features addresses the current capabilities and future potential for Active Safety and Driving Automation features to reduce crash frequency and severity and provides an overview of the state of the industry for both types of features, including current deployments, trends, and anticipated rollouts. Gaps in knowledge, unsettled issues, and suggestions for future research will also be discussed.