Most driver assistance systems have a positive effect on road safety. The Dutch Association of Insurers draws this conclusion on the basis of a study conducted by its own data analysis center into traffic accidents. According to the insurers, certain systems even reduce the risk of accidents by more than two thirds. In response to this research, the RAI Association advocates an incentive for the purchase of modern driver assistance systems.
Researchers from the Data Analytics Center of the Dutch Association of Insurers looked at, among other things, almost 950,000 traffic accidents involving two drivers. They combined the cause of the accident and other relevant data with data about the driver assistance systems present in the cars involved. The researchers conclude that active Lane Keeping Assist is the most effective system for preventing an accident. The Dutch Association of Insurers states that the chance of an accident is three times greater if you do not use this system.
According to the umbrella organisation, Rear Collision Warning, the system that warns of a collision by following traffic, is also important in reducing the number of accidents. This technology would cut the chance of an accident in half. Another effective system is the blind spot assistant: according to the study, it reduces the risk of an accident by 33 percent. For insurers, applying driver assistance systems on a larger scale would also offer a financial advantage: currently, accidents together cost about € 17 billion per year. Given the results of the study, that figure could potentially drop significantly.
Mandatory
The Dutch Association of Insurers therefore calls on the government to encourage the use of driver assistance systems that contribute to road safety. In addition, the umbrella organization would like to see the wider use of relevant data made possible to identify causes of accidents, such as anonymized hospital or vehicle data. The RAI Association joins the Dutch Association of Insurers and says it is pleased that the research provides evidence for the extra safety that driver assistance systems offer. A discount on the purchase tax for cars that have the technology on board could be an idea, according to the RAI Association, because new cars with such systems are often still expensive.
In the latter case, the government would soon have to offer a discount on the purchase tax of all new cars, because from 2022 the EU will already make some driver assistance systems mandatory. These include a drowsiness warning, smart speed support, a data recorder for accidents, Lane Keeping Assist and systems that actively intervene if a crash is imminent, such as Front Collision Warning. This means that not all available driver assistance systems are available as standard, but a large part is.