Sept. 12, 2019—A group of researchers from the University of Michigan analyzed and studied the effectiveness of General Motors' ADAS. The safety system content of over 3.7 million GM Model Year 2013-2017 vehicles were provided by GM to the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) to conduct this analysis.
The safety content data were then matched to police report data from vehicles involved in crashes using 10 state crash police report databases. GM's safety systems break down into seven aimed at addressing rear-end striking (or front-to-rear) crashes, two aimed at addressing lane departure crashes, three aimed at addressing lane change crashes, six aimed at reducing backing crashes, and six headlighting systems specifically targeted at reducing low visibility nighttime crashes.
The study found reductions in the advanced driver assistance systems. For example, lane departure warning had a 10 percent reduction in system-relevant crash and reverse automatic braking had an 81 percent reduction in system-relevant crash.
The Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) and camera-based Forward Collision Alert (FCA) systems evaluated produced, respectively, an estimated 46 percent and 21 percent reduction in rear-end striking crashes.
Researchers noted that a pattern has been observed for reduced safety system effectiveness as these systems move from early system introduction (perhaps purchase by more safety conscious drivers) to becoming widespread across the broader driving population. For example, Electronic Stability Control (ESC) was estimated in 2007 to reduce fatal rollovers by decreased by 70 percent in passenger cars and 88 percent in light duty vehicles. In 2011, an updated report estimated corresponding reductions of 56 percent and 74 percent.
