The cars with most advanced safety features
It’s going to be a long time before most of us get the chance to drive (sorry, to be driven by) an autonomous car. But some cars are already using technology that will make driverless vehicles a reality.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), one of those technologies, a crash-prevention system, is becoming more and more common for consumer vehicles.
“Nobody is going to have a self-driving car in their garage anytime soon, but building block technology is here now,’’ said Russ Rader, senior vice president for IIHS. Rader says vehicles equipped with crash-prevention technology are already making cars safer for consumers.
IIHS recently tested the crash-prevention technology on a series of vehicles to gauge how the systems performed in the institute’s crash tests at speeds of 12 and 25 miles per hour. IIHS’s ratings are aimed at highlighting which cars deliver the best performance in terms of safety.
Sixteen vehicles earned very high grades from the safety institute.
Story continues after gallery:
[bdc-gallery id=”1431357″]
“We know these systems are reducing crashes in the real world,’’ Rader told Boston.com. “We want to point consumers to the systems that perform the best in our tests.’’
According to the IIHS, the number of cars that come with optional crash-prevention and autobraking technology has been grown significantly in the past two years. According to figures released by the institute, only 27 percent of cars had an optional crash-prevention system in 2013. In 2015, that grew to 47 percent.
Autobraking systems are also increasing in availability. Only 16 percent of vehicles had optional autobraking technology 2013. By 2015, it was available in 26 percent of vehicles.
While very few vehicles have standard crash-prevention and autobraking technology, and require drivers to purchase them as an optional package, IIHS highlights Mercedes-Benz for offering a standard front crash-prevention system that earns the institute’s “superior’’ rating.
But according to IIHS, crash-prevention technology is no longer an option only for luxury vehicle brands. Seven of the vehicles with advanced- or superior-rated crash-prevention systems are moderately priced.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com