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Research Highlights Safety Benefits Of Automatic Braking Systems
Tue, 24 May 2011

Thousands of whiplash and other injuries could be prevented every year in the UK by the introduction of automatic braking systems on all cars, new research has found.

The study, conducted by car safety and security group Thatcham, discovered that the number of road traffic accidents that occur on UK roads could be slashed by 270,000 each year by technology known as autonomous emergency braking.

This technology involves cars being fitted with lasers which scan the road ahead, and perform an automatic emergency stop if a collision with another vehicle is imminent.

The more advanced systems can also recognise pedestrians in the road by using cameras and pattern recognition software, but basic systems do have limitations - the major one being that they are only likely to stop the car in time if it is travelling at speeds up to 30mph.

At present these systems are only available as an optional extra on some models of cars.

However, speaking to the BBC a spokesperson for Thatcham said that he hoped they would become a standard feature on all new cars as the systems become more popular with the general public.
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