The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says automakers have made big strides in front crash prevention over the past few years, with major improvements seen in automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems especially. Indeed, according to a recent IIHS study, fully 22 of the last 30 vehicles it tested received a Good or Acceptable rating, which requires systems be able to prevent or “substantially mitigate” crashes at higher speeds. In contrast, says the institute, in April of last year, only three out of 10 small SUVs tested made the grade.
Those garnering a Good rating with standard crash-prevention and AEB systems were the Acura ZDX, BMW X5, BMW X6, Cadillac Lyriq, Chevrolet Blazer EV, Genesis GV80, Honda Prologue, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia EV9, Kia Sorento, Lexus NX, Subaru Forester, Toyota Camry, Toyota Crown Signia, and Toyota Tacoma; while the Mercedes-Benz E-Class did so with an optional system available at extra cost.
The standard systems on Genesis’ G80, as well as the Honda HR-V, Hyundai Sonata, Jeep Wagoneer, and Mazda CX-50, were all rated Acceptable, as was the Acura MDX when fitted with optional equipment.
At the other end of the spectrum, the Ford Expedition was rated Marginal, while the Audi Q7, Audi Q8, Buick Envista, Chevrolet Tahoe, Chevrolet Trax, Kia Seltos, and Nissan Altima were all rated Poor. It’s probably worth noting that, with the exception of the Altima, all those rated Poor are sport-utilities or SUV-adjacent, which would cause more harm to whatever they hit.
It is worth noting the institute does seem to give itself a fairly big slap on the back, claiming the “major improvements in [automakers’] automatic emergency braking systems following the introduction of a tougher front crash prevention evaluation by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety last year.”
Whether that’s true or not, what is certain is that the latest standards are dramatically more rigorous. The group’s original vehicle-to-vehicles front crash prevention tests were run at 12 and 25 miles per hour (just 20 and 40 kilometres an hour). According to the IIHS, those standards were discontinued in 2022 mainly because all the vehicles being tested were receiving a “superior” rating.
The latest tests are now conducted at 31, 37, and 43 mph (50, 60, and 70 km/h). And while the old tests only used other passenger cars as targets, the new versions also include semi-trailers and motorcycles, mainly because, says the IIHS, 400 people are killed annually in the United States in crashes with semis; and “rear impacts kill more than 200 motorcyclists per year.”
The trials evaluate the performance of both forward collision warning systems and automatic braking capabilities. The collision warning systems must provide warnings at least 2.1 seconds before the time of impact; while the AEB systems must provide “substantial” speed reduction. This last account for two-thirds of the points that determine the vehicle’s rating, and the warnings a third.
Interestingly — and, as a motorcyclist, I hope this is rectified soon — the vehicles that were not rated well seemed to fail mostly in the motorcycle tests. In fact, all the Poor-rated vehicles hit the motorcycle target in the slowest (50-km/h) test. Even many of the Acceptable-rated vehicles failed in the 70-km/h test with the motorcycle, some hitting the stationary two-wheeler at more than 40 km/h.
“These results indicate that preventing crashes at higher speeds, especially collisions with motorcycles, remains a challenge for some systems,” said IIHS President David Harkey. “Motorcycles are a special area of concern because, unlike passenger vehicle occupants, riders have little protection from crash injuries.”
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