AEB could stop 2,500 accidents

Fitting autonomous emergency braking systems as standard on all commercial vehicles in the UK has the potential to stop almost 2,500 crashes per year.

Analysis of Department for Transport van accident statistics reveals 2,496 incidents involving vans weighing up to 3.5 tonnes could have been avoided if autonomous emergency braking systems had been fitted – preventing 348 deaths and serious injuries.

Across the car industry, autonomous emergency braking has the potential to save 1,000 lives and 120,000 casualties over the next 10 years with AEB leading to a real-world accident reduction of 38%. Despite advances in technology, the number of road deaths hit a five-year high in 2017.

Since 1 June 2017, all buyers of a new Volkswagen Caddy, Transporter or Crafter have had autonomous emergency braking systems fitted as standard, making Volkswagen commercial vehicles the only manufacturer to offer the tech as standard across its van range.

Carl zu Dohna, director of Volkswagen commercial vehicles, said, ‘We are proud to be leading the way with AEB standard across our van range. Ensuring our customers have the safest and most reliable commercial vehicles is all part of our Working With You promise.’

AEB systems also have the potential to cut third party insurance claims by 45% meaning lower costs and less time off the road for van drivers and fleet operators. Vehicles fitted with autonomous emergency braking also benefit from an average insurance premium saving of 10% compared to those without.