In a few years, automatic braking will be mandatory on all passenger vehicles. What initially could seem like an additional somewhat intrusive accessory has in fact proven to be a highly effective safety system that ultimately may prevent an accident and any injuries resulting from that accident.

“The reality is that an estimated 40% of accidents can be avoided with such systems in place. But we will have to wait until 2022 to see them on all passenger vehicles on sale on the market,” says a service technician at Ogilvie Mercedes-Benz.

The technology is fairly simple, but it rarely is featured by itself on a given vehicle. The car is generally also equipped with Forward Collision Warning which in turn is paired with a sensor system that, using lasers or cameras, can scan ahead of your vehicle to see what is happening.

By calculating the approach speed of an obstacle or another vehicle ahead, and assessing the size of the obstacle, the car is able to indicate to the driver the imminent possibility of a frontal collision.

Generally, these warnings come in the form of a blinking light and/or an audible warning urging the driver to react. If ever the driver does not respond to the alerts, the automatic braking system would then take over and slow down the vehicle in order to reduce the consequences of a collision, or prevent it altogether.

Some systems, more sophisticated, are also able to fully immobilize the car before there is contact with the obstacle, again limiting the damage.

Obviously, this kind of system is not perfect and still requires the driver to remain vigilant.

Note however applying the brakes is usually not the only feature of such a system. Most automatic braking systems will also tighten the seatbelts and unlock the doors, little things that help in the event of an accident.