High-visibility jackets worn by cyclists and pedestrians can actually make them invisible to modern car safety systems, according to a new study.
All new cars sold in Britain are now fitted with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) that are designed to reduce the number of head-on collisions.
Potentially dangerous objects, such as pedestrians, cyclists or other cars, are supposed to be spotted by the safety system’s camera and warn the driver before automatically braking.
However, an alarming study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the US indicated the systems may have a ‘blind spot’ for reflective items.
A dummy mannequin dressed in four different outfits; black clothing, a black outfit with reflective strips, a reflective jacket with black trousers, and a white outfit, were tested out on three different models of cars from 2023.
All fitted with AEB technology, a Honda CR-V, a Mazda CX-5 and a Subaru Forester were used in the study with varying levels of illumination tested for each scenario.
The mannequin was moved as if it was crossing the road. For each test the cars travelled at 25mph.
Each time, the Honda and Mazda hit the dummy wearing reflective strips without slowing every time.
High-visibility jackets worn by cyclists and pedestrians can actually make them invisible to modern car safety systems, according to a new study
A group of young children walking through a park as a group wearing high-visibility vest
A cyclist rides through Sefton Park in Liverpool wearing a high-visibility jacket
The Honda also failed to slow down for the dummy wearing the reflective jacket, in every type of lighting condition.
The Subaru performed the best as it came to a stop in all but one test with it hitting the mannequin wearing reflective strips in very dim light slowing by only 82 per cent.
‘These results suggest that some automakers need to tweak their pedestrian automatic emergency braking systems,’ David Harkey, president of the IIHS, said.
‘It’s untenable that the clothes that pedestrians, cyclists and roadway workers wear to be safe may make them harder for crash avoidance technology to recognise.
‘This is a worrisome blind spot. To make good on their potential, pedestrian detection systems have to work with the other commonly used safety measures.’
Past research has found that AEB systems reduced pedestrian crashes by 27 per cent but it was warned that on dark roads at night, their effect becomes negligible.
In 2022, AEB systems became mandatory on new cars being sold in the UK and EU.
David Kidd, a senior research scientist at the institute, and the study’s author, said: ‘The placement and motion of reflective strips on the joints and limbs of pants and jackets allows drivers to quickly recognize the pattern of movement as a person.
‘Unfortunately, the moving strips didn’t have the same effect for the pedestrian AEB systems we tested and probably confounded their sensors.’
A spokesman for Mazda said: ‘Roadway safety for everyone, including those in and around our vehicles, is a top priority for Mazda.
‘Our engineers are continuously working to improve Mazda’s crash avoidance systems and are already using these latest IIHS results to further assist us in this work, with special consideration for night-time pedestrian scenarios.’
A spokesperson for Honda told the Times: ‘Continuous improvement is a core part of the company’s vehicle development process, and we will closely analyse the results of IIHS’s recent non-standard pedestrian AEB testing in an effort to enhance future model performance.’
MailOnline has approached Subaru for a comment.
