NTSB calls for crash avoidance systems in all cars

If you are in the market for a new car, chances are that the salespeople you meet will tout their vehicle’s advance safety warning features. What began a few years ago as a unique perk only seen on luxury models such as Lexus and Mercedes Benz has found its way to mainstream models in Chevrolet, Ford and Honda vehicles.

While these features are growing in popularity, only a small fraction of all cars on the road have them. But this could change as more older cars are replaced by new ones. As a matter of fact, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has called for them to become standard equipment on all new cars sold in the U.S.

The NTSB recently released a 60 page report detailing the safety benefits of advanced warning systems. Essentially, the report focused on how many lives can be saved because of all the accidents that can be avoided (no pun intended) by the alerts provided by these systems. With more than 500,000 people injured in accidents each year across the country, the NTSB proposed that nearly 80 percent of collisions could be prevented.

However, not everyone shares this enthusiasm. Of course, the broad proclamation would cost money, and could lead to high car prices. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has not weighed in on the issue, which could suggest that it is not as enamored with being required to install collision avoidance systems.

It remains to be seen whether the NTSB’s recommendations will become reality.