Cars aren't made equal when it comes to safety features.
A brand new luxury sedan may come with 12 sensors, lane-keeping assist, and automatic braking. The older delivery van next to it has none — or almost none — of those features. This gap is bigger than most drivers realise. And it matters more for people who drive for work.
Car crashes are becoming increasingly common throughout Virginia. They rose from 105,600 incidents in 2020 to 127,597 in 20 23. Knowing what is (and what isn't) actually protecting you could mean life or serious injury.
Here's what the segment-by-segment comparison really looks like…
The State of Vehicle Safety Technology Today
Modern vehicles are packed with more sensors, cameras, and safety systems than ever before.
Driver assistance systems allow your car to sense danger, hit the brakes, and even prevent you from drifting out of your lane. New research from IIHS found vehicles equipped with forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking have 50% fewer front-to-rear collisions.
But here's the problem:
The technologies are not distributed equally among all vehicle categories. Workers' rights become a significant issue when employees are instructed to operate company vehicles that lack safety technologies standard on any new family sedan.
If you're a worker injured in a crash where the vehicle was under-equipped, you'll want to know who is liable. A skilled Virginia car accident lawyer will consider whether the vehicle had the proper safety technology available - which is often pivotal in commercial accidents. Employers, manufacturers, and others may be responsible for damages to an injured worker if safety systems were unavailable, turned off, or overridden.
Ok now that the basics are covered, how does each segment's safety tech actually measure up? Let's dive in…
Safety Tech in Passenger Cars and Sedans
Passenger vehicles - particularly newer sedans - are often equipped with the highest level of safety technology.
Why? Because features like this debut on fleet vehicles first. Did you know every new vehicle sold in the US since Sept. 20.22 has included automatic emergency braking standard? There's your win for the average consumer.
Forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping assist are also standard on most new sedans right from the factory.
Pretty impressive, right?
The problem is most older sedans weren't designed with any of these features. If you drive a vehicle that is over 6-7 years old you likely don't have any of these now standard safety features.
How SUVs and Crossovers Compare
SUVs and crossovers occupy an odd gray area. While newer ones have most of the same safety equipment found on sedans, there are two standouts you should know about.
Size and weight also affect how safety technology functions. It takes heavier vehicles longer to stop and more distance for automatic brakes to operate effectively. Therefore, even when equipped with the same technology, an SUV and sedan will not behave identically.
Rollovers are another problem more prevalent with SUVs. That's why many come standard with higher-off-the-ground electronic stability control calibrated specifically for taller, heavier vehicles.
Pickup Trucks and Personal Use
Pickups are among America's favorite vehicles, yet they trail in safety technology.
Full-size pickups weigh more and take longer to stop. They also sit higher off the ground. This makes a collision with pedestrians or small cars/dealerships much more likely to cause serious injury. Standard safety features are only recently becoming standard on new pickups. Many trucks on the road today (they tend to have long lives) lack these features entirely.
Personal-use work trucks usually don't come equipped with the upper-level trims that would offer enhanced safety technology. This leaves millions of drivers across the country unprotected.
Commercial Trucks and Fleet Vehicles
Here is where the safety gap gets really serious.
Delivery trucks, semis and box trucks weigh much more than passenger vehicles, take longer to stop and travel many more miles. You would expect them to be the safest vehicles equipped with the latest safety technology.
But that's not what happens.
The IIHS recently published a study showing that forward collision warning on its own reduced rear-end crashes of large trucks by 44%. Forward collision warning remains mostly absent on commercial fleets because of the costs and lack of government mandates.
Cutting costs on safety equipment can leave fleet operators endangering their own drivers and others on the road. That's why injured worker rights are so relevant to this discussion. Drivers have a right to safe vehicles. Truck drivers, delivery drivers and other commercial operators should expect nothing less.
The Real Safety Gap Between Segments
Automotive safety tech has evolved rapidly over the past decade. However, this evolution has been inconsistent across segments.
New cars. Sedans and SUVs are ahead of the curve. Pickup trucks will get there...eventually. But heavy commercial trucks and fleet vehicles are way behind...despite being involved in some of the most catastrophic collisions.
Drivers need to understand the technology in their cars. If you drive for work, you should know about technology in your company vehicles as well. Lack of safety systems and then an accident occurs, that's a major liability issue.
Final Thoughts
Automotive safety technology is incredible and improving all the time. However there is a disparity between segments and it jeopardizes drivers, passengers, and workers.
Passenger cars are catching up. Commercial trucks lag behind. Drivers most at risk are those in older vehicles or vehicles not equipped with...
The most important thing you can do is understand what your vehicle does and does not have and drive accordingly. If you drive a company vehicle daily, don't hesitate to ask questions about the lacking safety features.