eSafety measures – unknown safety effects

This section, which is not intended to be exhaustive, discusses a range of new technologies that are being promoted currently by the European car industry, EU institutions amongst others as promising safety measures. These are either being fitted widely, ready for implementation or are under development. While safety benefits have been predicted for such measures – some very high, others much lower- their effects and/or feasibility have still to be scientifically demonstrated. Such technologies may even lead to disbenefits. Those designed to improve braking, for example, could generate a rear impact phenomenon. A car with improved braking could avoid a situation (typically a frontal impact) but there is no guarantee that a following vehicle would have the same capability and hence has a risk of an impact due to less advanced braking provision (VSRC, 2008, unpublished). Their usefulness to road safety is not, as yet, known and needs to be tested before wide scale implementation.