The first layer would be adaptive cruise, a technology that allows the driver to maintain safe following distances without having to actively manipulate the accelerator or brake pedal.
The next several layers include the components that make up what is largely considered the collision avoidance system, a package Jon Morrison, president of WABCO Americas, calls another step on the way to autonomous driving.
“WABCO uses the terminology collision mitigation system,” Morrison says, “which means a system that provides active braking on moving, stopping and stationary vehicles to help mitigate or prevent impending rear-end collisions.”
Fred Andersky, director of government and industry affairs for Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, says the terms collision avoidance, collision mitigation, and crash avoidance are often used interchangeably.
“The Bendix Wingman Advanced and Bendix Wingman Fusion systems are collision mitigation technologies,” he says. “They are designed to help drivers potentially avoid rear-end collisions or, at least, help reduce their severity.”
In October, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimated that 17,775 people died in highway crashes in the first six months of this year, a 10 percent increase from the first half of 2015.
