Study Looking Into New Technology To Prevent Vehicle-Pedestrian Crashes
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PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A new study is looking into new technology that could help drivers avoid hitting pedestrians.
Police in Syracuse, N.Y., say basketball coach Jim Boeheim hit and killed a man with his car late Wednesday night on Interstate 690.
The victim, Jorge Jimenez, was walking outside of his vehicle following an unrelated crash due to bad weather.
Police say Boeheim tried to avoid hitting the vehicle and ended up hitting Jimenez.
The coach has cooperated fully with police and issued a statement Friday saying he is heartbroken and will not comment further.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says since 2009, pedestrian fatalities are up 45 percent.
"In 2017 alone, there were almost 6,000 pedestrian deaths," IIHS active safety testing manager David Aylor said.
A new study is checking pedestrian auto-brake systems. A camera and radar will detect people walking, alert the driver and apply the brakes if needed.
"The most effective way to prevent injuries and fatalities is to avoid the crash completely, and these systems warn the driver and either mitigate or avoid a crash with a pedestrian," Aylor said.
Some of the top performing vehicles tested were the 2018-19 Honda CR-V, 2019 Subaru Forester and the Volvo XC-40. The worst performer was the BMW X-1.
"It either didn't break or didn't mitigate the speed enough for us to give it points," Aylor said.
Although the technology is rather new, it has already made a difference. For instance, statistics show Subaru's eyesight system has reduced the rate of pedestrian-related insurance claims by 35 percent.
