Pennsylvania residents who have lane departure warning systems or other advanced safety features in their cars may be less likely to get into accidents. They may also be less likely to get hurt in a crash, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The study looked at 5,000 crashes that such systems were designed to prevent.
It was determined that there was an 11 percent drop in single-vehicle, head-on and sideswipe accidents in cars that had such features. These are the types of crashes that they are designed to prevent. There was also a 21 percent drop in the number of crashes that resulted in injury. According to the IIHS, there would have been 55,000 fewer crash injuries in 2015 had all vehicles been equipped with a lane departure warning system.
While a lane departure system may provide a person more time to avoid an accident, many drivers may actually be disabling them in their cars. One researcher thinks that they are turned off because they beep instead of vibrating when a driver is in danger. This may be annoying to some drivers, which leads to it being disabled. Overall, only 6 percent of new vehicles in 2017 have lane departure warning systems standard. However, 6 million accidents occur in the United States annually.
Individuals who have been victims in a car crash involving a negligent driver may be entitled to compensation. Compensation may be available to pay for medical bills, recoup lost wages and make up for lost future earnings. It may also be possible to win a financial award for future medical bills as well as the cost to modify a home or car because of an injury. Cases may be resolved through informal negotiations or a formal trial.
