IIHS study says two-thirds of new vehicles’ auto-braking systems are ‘Good,’ ‘Acceptable’—but there’s room to improve
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says automakers have made big strides in front crash prevention over the past few years, with major improvements seen in automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems especially. Indeed, according to a recent IIHS study, fully 22 of the last 30 vehicles it tested received a Good or Acceptable rating, which requires systems be able to prevent or “substantially mitigate” crashes at higher speeds. In contrast, says the institute, in April of last year, only three out of 10 small SUVs tested made the grade.
It is worth noting the institute does seem to give itself a fairly big slap on the back, claiming the “major improvements in [automakers’] automatic emergency braking systems following the introduction of a tougher front crash prevention evaluation by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety last year.”
Whether that’s true or not, what is certain is that the latest standards are dramatically more rigorous. The group’s original vehicle-to-vehicles front crash prevention tests were run at 12 and 25 miles per hour (just 20 and 40 kilometres an hour). According to the IIHS, those standards were discontinued in 2022 mainly because all the vehicles being tested were receiving a “superior” rating.
The trials evaluate the performance of both forward collision warning systems and automatic braking capabilities. The collision warning systems must provide warnings at least 2.1 seconds before the time of impact; while the AEB systems must provide “substantial” speed reduction. This last account for two-thirds of the points that determine the vehicle’s rating, and the warnings a third.
Interestingly — and, as a motorcyclist, I hope this is rectified soon — the vehicles that were not rated well seemed to fail mostly in the motorcycle tests. In fact, all the Poor-rated vehicles hit the motorcycle target in the slowest (50-km/h) test. Even many of the Acceptable-rated vehicles failed in the 70-km/h test with the motorcycle, some hitting the stationary two-wheeler at more than 40 km/h.
Sign up for our newsletter Blind-Spot Monitor and follow our social channels on X, Tiktok and LinkedIn to stay up to date on the latest automotive news, reviews, car culture, and vehicle shopping advice.