How many lives would be saved on the road if all cars were equipped with driving aids?

The campaigns of the Directorate General for Traffic, although they have contributed to reducing mortality on the roads by 26.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
22 May 2023 Monday 15:16
3 Reads
How many lives would be saved on the road if all cars were equipped with driving aids?

The campaigns of the Directorate General for Traffic, although they have contributed to reducing mortality on the roads by 26.8% in the last decade, have not been able to prevent 80% of traffic accidents in Spain from continuing to be due to errors humans. This factor, together with those that have to do with the state of the infrastructure or the age of the vehicle fleet, affect almost all road accidents. But, what would happen if the vehicles had an assistant that acted in response to the distractions, fatigue or excessive speed of their drivers?

ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System) driving assistance systems are equipment integrated into vehicles that have, among other functions, automatic braking or warning of blind spots. According to a study by the Foundation for Road Safety (Fesvial) and Bosch, if all vehicles had an ADAS incorporated, fatalities in traffic accidents could be reduced by up to 29%.

Driving assistants are a mandatory requirement for all vehicles approved since July 2022 and all those registered in the European Union as of July 2024. The supranational institution estimates that ADAS systems will help reduce 25,000 fatalities and 140,000 serious injuries related to road accidents in the next fifteen years.

Recent vehicles usually incorporate part of the driver assistance functionalities. However, the high age of the Spanish fleet, estimated at 13.1 years according to the National Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers (ANFAC), is the main obstacle to the implementation of these systems. The experts ask to put security at the level of sustainability when promoting aid for the improvement or renewal of private vehicles.

The last major operation of the DGT, during Easter this year, resulted in a total of 34 deaths on the highway, of which 15 were due to exits from the road. ADAS systems such as lane departure warning systems or lane keeping assist are capable of preventing this type of common accident.

On the other hand, other forward collision warning systems or automatic emergency braking could have prevented the 5 victims that were due to collisions between vehicles. There are assistants with more sophisticated functions such as warning of a driver traveling in the wrong direction, detecting signs or limiting speed intelligently.

Victims linked to accidents that have occurred at night have also increased. Some ADAS solutions that could reduce night-time accidents are automatic switching on and switching between high beam and dipped beam or fatigue and drowsiness detectors.

Among the additional systems with which to equip your vehicle are those with a rear camera for the detection of cross traffic, tire pressure control, breathalyzer blocking or seat belt alert for rear seats, upon leaving of use continue to be unfortunately responsible for part of the fatal accidents.