Many New Jersey motorists have unfortunately been in a rear-end collision. Such crashes can cause debilitating whiplash injuries even when they occur at low speeds, but a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety suggests that forward collision sensing technology and automatic braking systems can prevent them about 40 percent of the time.
The IIHS reached this conclusion after studying police car accident reports compiled between 2013 and 2015. The researchers looked for collisions involving cars, SUVs and crossovers manufactured by General Motors. Once these reports had been separated, the research team checked a list of serial numbers provided by GM to find out which vehicles were equipped with automatic braking and forward collision systems. The auto manufacturer began offering this technology on most of its models in 2013.
The results were impressive and indicate that the technology is as effective in real-world situations as it is in controlled crash tests. Forward collision and automatic braking systems appear to prevent 40 percent of rear-end impacts and reduce injuries by 64 percent. This suggests that the safety features greatly reduce the severity of accidents even when they do occur. Car manufacturers say that they will not wait for government regulators to take action and plan to include the technology on nearly all cars sold in the United States by 2022.
Experienced personal injury attorneys may advise car accident victims who have been involved in rear-end collisions to consult with medical specialists if they develop stiffness or begin to suffer from headaches. These symptoms can be signs of whiplash injuries that are often missed by paramedics at accident scenes. When litigating cases involving rear-end collisions, attorneys may reach out to neurologists or other experts to ensure that they seek sufficient damages to cover long-term health care and rehabilitation costs.