The effectiveness of pedestrian detection systems has been proven by testing

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has tested in practice the effectiveness of pedestrian detection systems in vehicles with a built-in automatic driving function. You can see the results on the video.\n

Every year, a huge number of people die in accidents. To remedy the situation, automotive companies are increasingly using pedestrian detection systems which automatically apply the brakes if a dangerous situation arises on the road.

Cars with the automatic driving function are equipped with such systems which feature cameras linked to the sensors in the front grille. These devices can respond to a dangerous situation much faster than a human.

The solution seems good at first glance. However, many questioned its effectiveness, so the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety decided to test pedestrian detection systems in practice.

The experiment involved 11 vehicles from different manufacturers. To test them, the researchers simulated the main emergency situations involving pedestrians.

SUVs Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4 and Volvo XC40 handled the test perfectly. Chevrolet Equinox, Hyundai Kona, Kia Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and Nissan Rogue did not do that well, but also at a very high level — they just slightly touched the pedestrian.

But the performance by Mitsubishi Outlander and BMW X1 was poor. It turned out, that it is not a good idea to rely on their braking systems.