There was a time when seat belts and airbags were the only car safety features a common man knew off. But with time, the car safety protocols have improved and many new safety features have been introduced. In the past few years, safety features have become more advanced and new cars are now safer for driving than ever before.
One such feature is AEB or Automatic Emergency Braking System that has become standard in many new and upcoming cars because of its usefulness and its ability to minimise the risk of an accident, serious injury or even road accident fatalities.
What is so special about AEB that has made it one of the most important safety features in cars? Here is everything that one should know about Automatic Emergency Braking system before buying a new car.
Also read: 5 Advanced Vehicle Safety Technologies
What is Automatic Emergency Braking System?
Automatic Emergency Braking System is basically a technology that automatically applies brakes to avoid accidents which reduce the risk of a crash and it has the potential to minimise the impact speed drastically. AEB is an intelligent system that can:
- Alert the driver of an imminent crash.
- Assist in using car brakes to their maximum capacity.
- Automatically apply brakes for the driver in critical conditions.
The AEB system is designed to assist and support the driver in emergency situations so that the driver and other motorists on road can avoid a fatal road accident and stay safe.
Also read: Understanding the Forward Collision Warning System for Cars
How Does AEB System Help?
The Automatic Emergency Braking System uses radars, sensors, cameras and lasers to monitor the roads and detects a potential risk of a collision with any pedestrian, vehicle or any other hazard. This system provides a visual or audible warning to the driver or intervenes if needed.
The AEB system will automatically apply the brakes if the driver does not take any action. Some advanced AEB Systems will charge the brakes and prepare the automobile to respond efficiently in an emergency situation by pre-tensioning the seatbelts. In case the driver takes the required avoidance actions, the AEB will deactivate on its own.
Three Systems of AEB
AEB has three systems that can be available altogether or in a combination of two or more systems in a vehicle. Almost every new car model has one or more variants of the three AEB Systems and may even have other functions such as time-to-collision assist, advanced braking system, etc.
The three AEB Systems are:
- High-Speed System: This is a version of AEB that uses long-range radars to scan the road up to 200 meters ahead to look for any vehicle coming towards the car at high speeds.
- Low-Speed System: The low-speed AEB system aims for city driving where accidents happen at slow speeds. This version of AEB looks out for the reflectivity of vehicles that is, the system will pay more attention to other vehicles on the road and not the pedestrians to improve its performance on busy roads.
- Pedestrian System: As the name suggests, this system keeps a watchful eye over the pedestrians on the road and gives the driver warning if a pedestrian comes in the path of the car. It uses a combination of radars and cameras to detect pedestrians and warns the driver or intervenes if a pedestrian is in a danger of being hit by the car.
Also read: Understanding the Lane Assist Safety Technology
Why Should One Have AEB System in a Car?
AEB Systems are not something that can be later added to the car. When purchasing a new car, it is important that one must buy a car that has at least one AEB System as a standard safety feature. There are alternative names for AEB System and almost every company redubs it in its own way.
One can find it in cars as Driving Assistant Plus, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Pre-collision Safety System with Brake Assist and Forward Collision Mitigation System to name a few.
Many types of research have been conducted to test the effectiveness of Automatic Emergency Braking System and it was found that accidents were reduced with the intervention and use of this ingenious system. Since AEB Systems work while reversing, towing and in all-weather conditions, opting to have an AEB system can help in avoiding accidents thus potentially saving lives.
According to one research, it was found that with AEB System, 53% of rear crashes could be mitigated in the severity of the collisions, whereas 35% of the rear crashes could be avoided completely. With the help of this system, driving in different conditions has become much safer.
Also read: Adaptive Cruise Control System for Cars – Everything You Need to Know about
Does AEB System Make Vehicles Absolutely Safe?
Although AEB System is known to reduce the chances and the impact of a collision, but the driving skills of the motorists are still very important. Safety features such as Automatic Emergency Braking System are there to assist a motorist and are not a substitute. AEB System helps the “motorists” to be vigilant while driving in low visibility, high traffic and bad weather conditions, however, the overall responsibility of safe driving remains with the motorist.
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