During any hour of watching television, there is a good chance you will see advertisements lauding the new safety features that are now being equipped on many vehicles.  These safety features can include early crash warning systems, extra air bags, crash avoidance systems and other technologies designed to prevent Mississippi car accidents.  However, one of the factors that is critical to making vehicles more safe and preventing car accidents is understanding the way human being process information as well as the limitations of human perception.  One study that looked at the human perception factors in causing rear-end collisions provides a good illustration of how many car accidents could be avoided by building motor vehicles with the limitations of human perception in mind.

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology conducted a study that revealed that drivers cannot perceive the urgency with which the brakes are applied in the vehicle that a driver is following.  Rear-end collisions are one of the most common types of car accidents in Mississippi and nationally.  Approximately a third of all car accidents are rear-end collisions.  These accidents are particularly common when driving in heavy traffic with an inconsistent flow.  A momentary glance at one’s cell phone or slightly delayed response because a driver is tired or drowsy can easily result in a driver slamming into you from the rear.

There are a number of frequent contributing factors to rear-end collisions, including the following:

• Failure to adhere to the two-second following rule (tailgating)
• Speeding
• Not slowing down in inclement weather
• Inattentive driving because of distractions
• Drunk driving or drugged driving
• Poor brake maintenance

While these factors have long been recognized as causes of Mississippi rear-end collisions, the Georgia Institute of Technology used a driving simulator to gauge the ability of motorists to perceive the speed of a vehicle directly in front of them.  The study showed that drivers generally are unable to detect when the vehicle they are following is moving at a slower speed until the difference in speed reaches 8-10 mph.

Gregory Corso, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta commented, “Well, if people can’t detect that the car in front of them is going slower, you’re going to run into it.”

While current safety devices are designed to reduce the seriousness of injuries when a rear-end collision occurs, the researchers have developed an algorithm that can be incorporated into a collision warning system that makes adjustments based on your actual driving and braking behavior.  The system could notify drivers that the vehicle they are following is traveling at a slower rate of speed and predict a potential collision based on the rate that the trailing vehicle is gaining on the lead vehicle.  If this technology is implemented, it could prevent some of the most common types of Mississippi car accidents – rear-end collisions.  This provides a good example how vehicle manufacturers can be expected to adapt vehicles to protect vehicle occupants.  Sometimes when a manufacturer builds a vehicle without adequate safety equipment, this may form the basis for a product liability claim against the vehicle manufacturer.

Our experienced Mississippi rear-end accident attorneys offer a free consultation so that we can evaluate your Mississippi rear-end auto collision claim and explain your rights and remedies.  At the Barrett Law Offices PLLC, our experienced Mississippi rear-end accident lawyers represent injury victims throughout Mississippi.  Our law firm has roots that reach back 75 years so contact us today for your free initial consultation at (662) 834-2376 to see how we can help.