Cars that brake automatically when about to collide: Is this new technology really safe?

The ADAS active safety system is no longer strange to today's drivers because many car manufacturers have equipped this technology for their car models, ranging from luxury car brands to popular car brands.

In Vietnam, some typical car models are equipped with this technology such as VinFast VF9, VF8, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, Subaru Forester, Ford Everest...

Ford is probably the pioneer car company to bring ADAS technology to Vietnam from 2011-2012 on the Ford Focus model with the ability to automatically brake to avoid collisions, automatically reverse... However, at that time, these technologies were still too unfamiliar to the majority of Vietnamese customers and made the selling price of Ford Focus much higher than other competitors. After that, ADAS active safety technology was gradually forgotten due to not being able to compete on price.

It was not until early 2017, when Volvo Vietnam introduced the Volvo XC90 and XC60, that ADAS active safety technology received much attention and created a unique feature for this Nordic car brand.

After that, a series of popular car manufacturers also brought ADAS active safety technology to their car models such as Mazda, Honda, Toyota... and recently electric car models such as VinFast, BYD... This has made the new technology more widely accepted.

With unique features, active safety technology helps car models become increasingly safer.

For example, active safety technology has become a huge plus for Volvo when it helps maintain distance from the vehicle in front with the ACC adaptive cruise control system, automatic braking with the AEB active emergency braking system, lane keeping ability with the LKA lane keeping assist system...

All of these systems are encapsulated under the name Pilot Assist, helping drivers to be safer when driving on the road.

Is active emergency braking safe?

Among active safety technologies, the AEB active emergency braking system(will have different names depending on the way each car company calls)is one of the systems that most people are interested in. The car can proactively detect obstacles ahead in case the driver does not observe in time and the car will automatically brake to reduce speed to ensure safety and minimize damage when an accident occurs.

The AEB active emergency braking system is usually divided into 3 stages including:

Phase 1: early warning with images and sounds when detecting the possibility of collision. If the driver does not react to reduce speed or steer to avoid, the car will warn phase 2 with a louder sound warning. Some manufacturers will allow the AEB system to intervene early in the braking system to reduce speed in the most optimal way.

In stage 3, when the driver still does not respond to deceleration, the AEB system will intervene with both braking and reducing engine power to minimize collision. In some cases, the AEB active braking system will brake suddenly to ensure the safety of the vehicle and its occupants.

Although the AEB emergency braking system in particular and ADAS active safety technologies in general seem to be quite optimal in ensuring traffic safety, in reality, car manufacturers always recommend that active safety technologies only support the driver and cannot completely replace the driver.

Therefore, drivers absolutely must not depend entirely on this technology, they need to understand this mechanism to proactively handle all situations on every journey, not considering it as the job of automatic braking.

To ensure safety when participating in traffic, drivers need to focus on actively controlling the vehicle, observing traffic conditions to make judgments and handle situations promptly when unexpected situations occur.

In addition, each manufacturer has its own operating standards for each active safety system, including when to activate AEB, the operating speed of AEB, etc., so to know exactly how the active safety system works, drivers should carefully read the user manual that comes with the car when purchasing it.