The automatic emergency braking in cars, which is now mandatory in the EU, is getting better and better. New versions of the braking system are much better at preventing collisions than systems from a few years ago.
The Advanced Emergency Braking or AEB system has been mandatory in all new cars sold in the EU since July. Together with systems such as parking sensors, a speed beep and Lane Keeping Assistance. People often complain about that speed squeak, but such an automatic emergency brake is of course useful – that is, if it works properly. How well current AEB systems work has been investigated by from AAAthe American counterpart of the ANWB.
New systems much better
To compare the emergency brakes, AAA took old and new versions of three car models: the Jeep Cherokee, Nissan Rogue and the Subaru Outback. The old models are from 2017 or 2018 and therefore already have an AEB system, which has been compared with models from 2024, with an improved emergency braking system.
On a closed road, an inflatable fake vehicle was placed in the middle of the street, and the cars approached at different speeds: 20, 40 and 55 kilometers per hour. The new models stopped automatically in all cases: a score of 100 percent. Much better than the models of a few years ago, which only stopped on time 51 percent of the time.
There is still much to improve
There is one but: this only concerns rear-end collisions. The AEB systems are not yet good at preventing other common collisions, such as from the side or while making a turn. “Since we began testing AEB in 2014, the progress made by automakers has been commendable and promising in improving driver safety,” said Greg Brannon, director of automotive research. “There is still a lot of work to be done to ensure that the systems operate at higher speeds.”
These types of systems are still many steps away from fully self-driving cars, where you no longer have to hold the steering wheel. Tesla promised another fully self-driving car this month, this time it would be available within two years. Mercedes-Benz is already testing fully self-driving cars on the Autobahn in Germany, which will soon be able to drive up to 95 kilometers per hour while the driver lets go of the steering wheel and does something else.
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Source: www.bright.nl
