AAA says “Hit the Brakes” on thinking Reverse Automatic Emergency Braking is foolproof

New data from AAA shows drivers shouldn’t put too much trust in automatic braking.

AAA researched the effectiveness of the technology developed to prevent drivers from reversing into an object, another vehicle or pedestrian.

AAA spokesman, Mark Jenkins said, “Although this technology has proven to significantly reduce rear-end collisions, they are not foolproof. Our testing resulted in collisions with mock vehicles and pedestrians. So, drivers should remain alert and not become overly reliant on the technology.”

In AAA’s research, they reviewed four vehicles that contain Reverse Automatic Emergency Braking and rear cross traffic mitigation.

These specific systems are made to detect rear cross-traffic and automatically apply the brakes to avoid collisions.

In two out of the three scenarios conducted, AAA found that in Scenario A and B, which tested oncoming vehicles on two different angles, the system automatically applied the brakes 26 out of 40 test runs, a 65% success rate. In those same scenarios, it successfully prevented a collision 1 out of 40 test runs, only a 2.5% success rate.

In Scenario C, which tested reversing into a stationary pedestrian child, the system automatically applied the brakes 15 out of 20 test runs, a 75% success rate. In the same scenario, it prevented a collision 10 out of 20 test runs, a 50% success rate.

The NHTSA estimates there are approximately 210 fatalities and 15,000 injuries caused by reversing collisions each year.

AAA said drivers should not rely on Reverse Automatic Emergency Braking systems and be fully aware of their surroundings at all times.

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