The Association of British Insurers’ Address The Safety Of Drivers.

Calls for the Introduction of Autonomous Emergency Braking as Standard

The Association of British Insurers’ (ABI) has called for autonomous emergency braking (AEB) to be routinely fitted in all new vehicles to improve the safety of drivers.  Using radars, lasers and optical lenses to identify other vehicles and pedestrians, AEB automatically applies the brakes if the driver has not responded to the potential hazard. Currently, only 23% of new vehicles in the UK are fitted with AEB technology as standard.

The ABI argues the role that AEB plays in significantly reducing the number of low speed collisions – a 27% reduction in accident damage, impacting the number of personal injury claims.

In a speech at the ‘Inside Government forum on The Future of Road Safety in the UK’,  Scott Pendry (ABI’s Motor Policy Advisor), presented three positive outcomes of AEB as standard on new vehicles; improved safety for passengers, lower cost of motor insurance – vehicles fitted with AEB will enter a lower Group Rating, and finally, that as a major advance in car technology  AEB has already been incorporated in the Euro NCAP 5 start rating system – vehicles not fitted with AEB will not be able get a 5 star rating. The ABI calls for the above to be an incentive to the car manufacturing industry to include AEB as standard.

The ABI’s support of AEB forms part of its overall commitment to improve safety for drivers.  Statistics show that young drivers are by far the most likely group of drivers to be involved in a collision (despite 17 – 24 year olds making up only 8% of the insured’).  As young drivers pose such a high risk this is reflected in their premiums.  Incentives which provide evidence of reducing risk will also impact premiums. To this end, the ABI also support the introduction of the Graduated Driver Licensing in the UK (calculating that full implementation of the GDL would reduce premiums in this category by 20%), and reflects that international evidence is compelling.

The ABI calls for the Government to issue the awaited Green Paper to fully address all the issues relevant to this area and thus seek to improve young driver safety without further delay.

Source: Association of British Insurers

For further details see:  https://www.abi.org.uk/News/Speeches/2014/02/Scott-Pendry-speech-at-The-Future-of-Road-Safety-in-the-UK-forum