Emergency Braking Works, U.K. Accident Data Shows

The installation of automatic emergency-braking systems on Volkswagen Golf and Passat models has resulted in a 45% drop in third-party personal injury insurance claims in the U.K., according to an independent study.

The Motor Insurance Repair Research Center in Thatcham, Berkshire (Thatcham Research), operated by the U.K. insurance industry, says the finding is based on the equivalent of more than 7,000 Mark VII (seventh-generation) Golf models insured for a full 12 months on the road, and comes from claims data from its insurance members.

“When we saw figures based on an initial small sample, we were surprised, as they exceeded our own performance testing,” Thatcham Research Director of Safety Matthew Avery says in a statement.

“However the figures held up, even after almost doubling the sample group, and have therefore given us a glimpse of what safety on U.K. roads could look like in the future.”

Since launch, third-party injury claims on the latest Golf are 45% lower than for the equivalent “small family car control group.”

The latest-generation Golf went on sale in the U.K. in January 2013. All except for the entry-level S models have standard adaptive cruise control that includes the radar-sensor-controlled distance-monitoring system Front Assist, as well as city emergency braking.

Volkswagen says although such systems are not new, it was the Golf that brought ACC to a wide audience.

The system operates over a wide speed range of 18-99 mph (30-160 km/h) with either a manual gearbox or DSG automatic.

“In vehicles with (DSG transmissions), it can intervene to such an extent that the car may be slowed to a complete standstill,” VW says in a statement.

In normal driving ACC maintains a preselected speed and a defined distance from the vehicle ahead, and it automatically brakes or accelerates in flowing traffic. Front Assist continually monitors the distance to the traffic ahead and assists the driver in critical situations by preconditioning the brake system and alerting the driver to any required reactions by means of visual and audible warnings.

If the driver fails to brake hard enough, the system automatically generates sufficient braking force to help avoid a collision. If the driver doesn’t react at all, Front Assist automatically slows the car so that the speed of any impact is minimized.

The new Passat, which went on sale in the U.K. in January, also has ACC as standard on all but S models.

VW says that with a further developed system, as well as the ability to detect pedestrians, early indications from Thatcham are that the reductions in accidents could be even more significant.

“If the performance of these latest generation auto-emergency braking systems translates to the real world as expected, then it stands to reason that we should see third-party personal injury claims continuing to fall across the board,” Avery says.

VW U.K. Director Alex Smith says the automaker knew the addition of ACC was significant when it launched the Golf.

“To have even greater-than-expected reductions reflected in real-world accident data is fantastic, as we know we’re contributing to cutting the human and financial impacts of accidents as well,” Smith says.

“The trend towards standard fitment is also set to continue as new vehicles are launched.”