Advanced Automatic Braking, Automatic Emergency Braking, Autonomous Braking: these devices have many names, but no matter what you call them they are designed to save lives. These brakes work by engaging when a driver does not or cannot. If a driver cannot brake for some reason or does not notice a threat in time, these brakes are meant to engage to help them a truck accident.
Truck accident experts in Hollywood and South Florida have a great deal to say about these brakes. Some insist that the latest versions of automatic brakes – now being developed by almost every commercial truck maker – make a big impact in preventing tanker accidents, big rig collisions, and other crashes involving commercial vehicles. Others insist that more work needs to be done to prevent trucking crashes.
If you have been injured by a commercial truck accident, you may not know what types of brakes the vehicle had. For a thorough examination of your situation and your legal rights, contact Flaxman Law Group for a free accident consultation. Our legal team can examine cases involving brake failure, commercial truck accidents, and other vehicle accident and personal injury cases.
How Automatic Emergency Braking Works
Each brand and configuration of Advanced Automatic Braking works a little differently, but in general these brakes work by using sensors, GPS, and sometimes cameras to keep track of vehicles and other obstacles around a truck while the vehicle is in motion. The system uses a computer and complex algorithms to determine when there is a danger of a crash.
If the system detects a danger, in general a visual or auditory warning will usually warn the driver that a crash is imminent. If the driver does not react in time, the system will start braking to prevent the crash.
Brake Limits
Just like any system, Advanced Automatic Braking is not a panacea for car crashes. While many safety advocates would like to see these brakes on all vehicles, the reality is that good brakes do not replace the need for good driver training and responsible driving.
Just like any brakes, Advanced Automatic Braking can also be affected by illegally overweight trucks, poor, maintenance, and other issues. An even greater challenge may be to get truck carriers to install the technology on trucks. The systems are expensive and with newer systems being released all the time the cost of always having the most recent and safest system are high.
If you have been in a truck accident involving brake failure, incorrect braking, or other issues, you deserve answers. Don’t delay; contact Flaxman Law Group for a free accident consultation to discuss your legal options. Depending on the causes of your injury, you may have a claim against the truck manufacturer, truck carrier, driver, or other liable parties. If you are able to recover damages, the money can help pay for medical bills, lost income, pain, and other expenses. If you would like to know whether you have a claim, contact the full-service law firm of Flaxman Law Group to speak to a member of our legal team.