Most Vehicles Need Better Nighttime Automatic Emergency Braking, According to IIHS Study
Top safety ratings will soon require automatic emergency braking that works well in the dark
An IIHS tester uses a test dummy to simulated an adult crossing the road.
By Benjamin Preston
As pedestrian deaths continue to climb, new testing from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety finds the automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection systems on most cars lacking when it comes to detecting pedestrians in the dark. The IIHS is introducing a new nighttime test, starting with 23 models, most of which have AEB systems that function well during the day. In the darkness of night, however, only four receive top scores.
“As we expected, most of these pedestrian AEB systems don’t work very well in the dark, but it’s clear automakers can rise to this new challenge, as Ford, Nissan, and Toyota each earn Superior ratings for some models,” says David Harkey, president of the IIHS.
The IIHS has a three-tiered rating system for AEB systems, with Superior at the top, Advanced in the middle, and Basic at the bottom. The only models to receive Superior ratings for nighttime AEB pedestrian detection were the 2022 versions of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Highlander. Only the Pathfinder avoided a collision with the pedestrian dummy in each test scenario at various speeds with both low and high beams.
The 2022 Honda Accord, Hyundai Palisade, Hyundai Sonata, Nissan Frontier, Nissan Murano, Subaru Ascent, and Subaru Outback received the second-tier Advanced rating. None of these models was able to avoid striking the pedestrian dummy in the 37 mph test, conducted with the dummy positioned parallel to the road.
The 2022 Chevrolet Traverse, Ford Explorer, Ford Maverick, Ford Ranger, Mazda CX-9, Volkswagen Atlas, Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, and Volkswagen Tiguan received the third-tier Basic rating.
Four models—the 2022 Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Pilot, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Tacoma—performed so poorly, they didn’t receive any rating in the test. These models did not slow at all or barely reduced their speed before hitting the dummy in multiple test scenarios with low and high beams.
The IIHS introduced the nighttime AEB testing amid troubling national statistics: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the 7,342 pedestrians killed by motor vehicles in 2021—with tens of thousands more injured—is 80 percent higher than the all-time low reached in 2009. Pedestrian deaths rose 13 percent between 2020 and 2021. According to federal crash death data, three-quarters of those fatalities occurred at night.
AEB systems were initially designed to prevent crashes between vehicles, and they have grown to include pedestrian detection systems that work to detect pedestrians and brake for them if necessary. AEB is standard on all trims in approximately 83 percent of the vehicles Consumer Reports rated for the 2022 model year as the vehicles make use of the same radar and camera systems utilized in detecting other vehicles. Of those vehicles, only about 2 percent don’t also include pedestrian detection systems.
“While vehicles make themselves obvious to other drivers at night with exterior lighting, pedestrians are at risk because they’re much more difficult to see,” says Jennifer Stockburger, who leads CR’s headlight testing. “We’ve been testing headlights since 2004, mainly in an effort to improve drivers’ ability to see pedestrians. Better AEB systems can only make roadways safer by utilizing technology to help drivers see what they can’t.”
How They Tested
The IIHS conducted different tests for each vehicle. One simulated an adult crossing the road, with the vehicle traveling at 12 and 25 mph, and the other an adult walking along the side of the road, parallel to the direction of traffic, conducted at 25 and 37 mph. These two test scenarios mimic two of the scenarios the IIHS performs for AEB systems in daylight. In order to make the scenario as real-world as possible, the test track’s ambient lighting couldn’t be brighter than the amount of light given off by a full moon. The tests are run using high- and low-beam headlights, with points awarded for features such as automatic high beams that switch on as soon as there are no other cars approaching from the opposite direction or when driving on a road that has low ambient light.
The only vehicle to avoid hitting the test dummies in both scenarios at all the different test speeds using both high- and low-beam headlights was the Pathfinder. The other three vehicles that received Superior nighttime AEB ratings—the Mustang Mach-E, Camry, and Highlander—fared a little worse in the 37-mph parallel test. They slowed down drastically, mitigating the impact, but still made contact with the dummy. Advanced-rated vehicles passed all but the high-speed parallel test but struggled to avoid hitting the dummies when using only low-beam headlights. Basic-rated vehicles didn’t do well in the higher-speed tests, and the vehicles that received no credit struck the test dummies regardless of the scenario.
For 2023, the IIHS says an Advanced or Superior rating in the nighttime AEB testing will be required for its Top Safety Pick+ designation.
“AEB systems face the same challenges at night that the human eye does—it’s more difficult to see in the dark,” Stockburger says. “But we’ve already witnessed continued improvement of these systems in addressing more challenging scenarios and expect we will see more success with their ability to detect at night as they have in daylight.”
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