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April 17, 2008
Some pricey new safety gear that automakers have billed as technological breakthroughs that will save lives may have only limited protective value, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety concludes in a report out Thursday, according to USA Today.
Federal safety officials and many automakers have hailed the "crash-avoidance" devices as their best hope for lowering the annual U.S. death toll in crashes from the current 42,000. Unlike safety belts and air bags, the new devices are designed not to lessen injuries from a crash but to prevent one in the first place.
But some of the devices may not work well, the IIHS says, because some drivers are likely to ignore the warnings, turn them off or drive with less care. Automakers are installing devices that warn you, for example, if you leave a lane without signaling, alert you to blind spots and detect other vehicles — and sometimes apply the brakes if you don't.
Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth 
at 12:01 PM to Safety
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