Six cars aced new pedestrian detection tests

Enlarge / A Subaru Outback successfully stops for a "pedestrian" crossing the road in front of it. (credit: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety)

After reaching an all-time low in 2009, the number of pedestrian fatalities caused by cars has been on the rise in recent years. New technology has the potential to change that. A new report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Studies (IIHS) ranks 16 mid-sized cars on the performance of their pedestrian-detection systems.

Six of the cars earned "superior" ratings, indicating that they were able to stop-or slow down significantly-in each of the six scenarios tested by IIHS. These vehicles were the Audi A4, BMW 3 series, Subaru Outback, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Nissan Maxima, and Volvo S60.

All of these vehicles except the Mercedes achieved superior performance with the standard equipment. The Mercedes C-Class achieved a superior rating for its optional "Active Brake Assist with Cross-Traffic Function" but only a "basic" rating with the standard package.

Read 9 remaining paragraphs | Comments