HLDI: Crash-Avoidance Feature Tempers Auto Insurance Claims Rates

Fairfax -- Free-Press-Release.com-- Jul 21, 2011 -- New technology pioneered by Volvo could help motorists avoid rear-ending other cars in bumper-to-bumper traffic, the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) announced this week.

The reason, researchers said, is a collision avoidance feature called City Safe, which uses an infrared laser embedded in windshields to sense any vehicle within 18 feet of the front bumper and then automatically applies the brakes.

Research has shown the significant impact of accidents on auto insurance rates, and industry experts say that any high-tech advances that can reduce the risk of crashes are good news for consumers.

According to a new study by HLDI, an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers of Volvo XC60 midsized SUVs caused fewer low-speed crashes than motorists in similar Volvos and other SUVs that weren’t equipped with City Safe.

The high-tech system is the first to focus on low-speed crashes, which usually do less damage but happen more often than high-speed collisions. It is a standard feature on the XC60 and is included in some other Volvo wagons and sedans.

The safety system works when the vehicle is going less than 20 mph, in daytime or nighttime traffic, and does not wait for the driver to react before braking.

David Strickland, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said he was glad to see automakers such as Volvo exploring technological methods to improve safety on the road.

The NHTSA continues to work with car manufacturers and technology companies to help develop crash avoidance technology that can prevent injuries, fatalities and property damage.

Source: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Research/Crash+Avoidance/Crash+Avoidance+Research+Program

“With our core mission of reducing traffic fatalities, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is deeply interested in the potential for crash-avoidance technology to significantly improve safety for drivers, passengers and our communities,” Strickland said in a news release.

For the study, HLDI researchers compared at-fault insurance claims filed by XC60 drivers against those filed by owners of comparable luxury SUVs that were not outfitted with City Safe.

Researchers found that motorists protected by the safety feature filed claims for damage done to other vehicles nearly 30 percent less frequently than other drivers. And at-fault claims for bodily injury were only half as common among XC60 drivers.

To read more about this and other vehicle safety and coverage issues, go to http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com/learn/how-accidents-affect.htm, where you will find informative resource pages and a free-to-use quote-comparison generator.

# # #

Online Auto Insurance
Benjamin Zitney
http://www.onlineautoinsurance.com