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All new cars should feature emergency self braking, says safety body

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Author: | Updated: 12 Feb 2016 12:43

Self-braking technology should come as standard on all new cars, according to vehicle safety body Thatcham Research.

Currently, fewer than one in five new cars (17%) are available with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) fitted as standard.

The system uses lasers, sensors and cameras to scan the road ahead and automatically slams on the brakes if the driver fails to respond to an emergency situation, with the aim of avoiding a collision. Cars with these AEB systems are cheaper to insure too.

Volvo City Safety AEB system autonomous emergency braking system

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In 2015, 41% of all new cars on the market were available with AEB, with almost half of them (17%) throwing in the tech as standard.

However, from the remaining 24%, fewer than 2% of motorists were willing to fork out extra to have AEB fitted.

It’s not as if the system is expensive though;  the cheapest can be added to the Volvo V40 and Mazda3 for as little as £40, rising to around £200 for more advanced systems.

A survey of 2,005 adults found that more than four in five motorists (82%) think that safety features like AEB should be included as standard, not as an price-boosting extra.

Thatcham’s Director of Research, Matthew Avery, said: “There is no longer any excuse for car makers to launch new cars without AEB as standard across the board, and along with dealerships, to promote and explain AEB more effectively to consumers.

“Not only will this reduce insurance premiums, but give peace of mind for motorists by significantly reducing crashes and associated injuries.”

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