Automatic emergency braking systems, found in nearly 90 percent of 2021 vehicle models, decreased the odds of a pedestrian crash by about a third on well-lit roads, according to a new Insurance Institute for Highway Safety study. However, they appear to make little difference on dark roads at night.
IIHS will release a new nighttime test and nighttime rating system for AEB systems this year, which will become part of the criteria for the 2023 Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards, the group said in a press release on Thursday.
In 2019, IIHS announced it would begin adding pedestrian protection to the criteria for its coveted Top Safety Pick ratings the following year. Half of the 2021 vehicle models with AEB passed with the highest possible rating.