Vehicle Safety Systems Face Challenges Detecting Reflective Clothing
Detroit Free Press – High-visibility clothing is commonly worn by highway workers, pedestrians, and cyclists to enhance their visibility to drivers. However, a recent study indicates that these garments can pose detection challenges for certain crash avoidance systems.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducted a study that revealed the need for automakers to enhance the sensors and software designed to detect and protect pedestrians, according to David Kidd, a senior research scientist and study author.
“I think it points to the (fact that the) software or hardware behind these systems is brittle, it’s not robust,’ Kidd told the Free Press, further noting that the systems don’t always adapt to changes in pedestrian appearance.
Although the study was limited to three 2023 models – the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, and Subaru Forester – its results shed light on the obstacles faced by safety systems that many drivers depend on, particularly in nighttime conditions when the majority of pedestrian accidents occur. Pedestrian fatalities remain a significant concern in the United States, with over 7,500 pedestrian deaths reported on or near U.S. roads in 2022 alone.
The Subaru Forester demonstrated notably better results than the other vehicles in the IIHS study.
‘Two models, the Honda CR-V and Mazda CX-5, failed to slow at all in the scenarios with reflective striped clothing. The CR-V also didn’t slow in the fully reflective jacket scenarios. Their performance was mixed in the other scenarios. The third vehicle, a Subaru Forester, avoided crashes completely in nearly all the scenarios, though it did impact the dummy clad in reflective strips in one lighting condition,” according to a news release.
The study utilized an adult-sized dummy wearing clothing of various colors (white or black) and, at times, equipped with different retroreflective materials. The release pointed out that the retroreflective strips were similar to those used by highway workers, though their gear is typically orange or yellow, rather than black.
Kidd, the study author, noted that these safety systems are still in the early stages of development. They often work well in preventing daytime pedestrian crashes, but this study identifies areas for improvement, particularly in detecting clothing commonly worn at night.
Despite the study’s findings, Kidd continues to encourage pedestrians to wear clothing that makes them more visible at night.
