New Auto Report Reveals Manufacturers Fall Short of Safety Agreement

PROGRESSIVE – Progressive’s new auto report “Does tech make driving safer?”  highlights that some automakers have fallen short of their agreement with The Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to equip cars with certain safety features.

The report highlights the following: 

• Twenty manufacturers, representing 99% of the U.S. car market, agreed to equip at least 95% of new cars and light-duty trucks with front collision warning and automatic braking by 2022.
• The agreement is guaranteed to reduce accidents for drivers, but it will not be met by 2022.
• Only about 8% of cars on the road were equipped with front collision warning and automatic braking in 2019.
• It’s estimated that only 25% to 30% will be fully equipped by 2024. 

Front collision warning with automatic braking proved to be the most effective car tech safety system, preventing 50% of front-to-rear crashes. This leads to the question: are automakers doing consumers a disservice by failing to meet their agreement to equip all new cars with this technology?

Click here to view the report.