The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has made plans to improve safety on the roadways with a proposed change in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) vehicle safety ratings. The DOT wants to update the current five-star rating system to include the latest safety technology and crash avoidance innovations.

The updated vehicle safety ratings system will include half stars in an effort to make it easier for consumers to better differentiate between the safety levels of vehicles. As an example, a vehicle may receive a half star if it has technology that detects a possible collision, but will receive a whole star for detecting and also having technology that automatically applies the brakes. Below are some other examples of safety features that DOT plans to include in the NHTSA’S vehicle safety ratings:

Crash Tests

There are a variety of new and improved crash tests that U.S. DOT would like the ratings system to include.  A full frontal barrier crash test will better protect rear seat occupants.  A frontal oblique crash test will help demonstrate how well vehicle occupants fare in angled front crashes.  Another new crash test will be used to better protect pedestrians from car collisions, particularly from head, neck, leg and pelvic injuries.

Improved Crash Dummies

New crash dummies have been updated to include over 100 new sensors, including four sensors on the rib cage.  These improvements will help provide safety officials with a more accurate assessment of the impact certain crashes have on humans.

New Technology Features

Some of these new technology features include lane departure warnings, forward collision warnings, automatic brake technology, rear cameras for visibility and more. Many safety advocates believe that these new features will pave the way for much safer roads where fewer collisions will occur.  It is the hope that as technology improves, vehicle accidents will be eradicated in the not so distant future.  Let the personal injury attorneys at Goldberg Finnegan help you navigate your personal injury claim today.  We have decades of experience and only get compensated when a recovery is made on your behalf. Contact us for a free consultation today.