Close to 40% of all car accidents involving delivery vans could be prevented if all vans came equipped with four important safety features.
According to a new study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, auto tech could play a key role in helping reduce the number of auto accidents caused by delivery vans in the United States. Delivery vans have become a ubiquitous presence on American roads, and their number has only grown since the pandemic when online purchases became the norm. With the e-commerce boom not expected to slow down anytime soon, it is important for regulators and auto makers to act to make these vehicles safer for all motorists on the road.
Light vans were already a very popular vehicle in the United States, but their popularity has boomed since the pandemic. As many as 500,000 such vehicles are sold every year in the United States. The number of such vehicles simply boomed during the pandemic, spurred by a 43% increase in e-commerce rates.
Light vans may not weigh as much as large trucks, but they are more dangerous to passenger cars on the road because of their size. A passenger car is more likely to suffer injuries or be killed in auto accidents involving light vans because of the size of these vehicles. Moreover, these vehicles are also more likely to cause serious injuries or fatalities to pedestrians and bicycles involved in accidents with these cars. The researchers also speculate about whether the larger number of light vans on our roads is one of the reasons for the recent increase in the number of auto accidents involving pedestrians and bicycles since before the pandemic. These are heavier, taller vehicles than passenger cars, and impact with these vehicles can cause serious injuries to pedestrians.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that auto technology like front crash prevention systems, lane departure warning systems, intelligence speed assistance and blind spot detection systems could significantly help reduce the number of car accidents involving these vehicles. The researchers believe that mandating these features on all vans could help prevent as many as 37% of all fatal auto accidents involving these vans, and 22% of all injurious car accidents involving these vans.
With the craze for online shopping not likely to abate anytime soon, it is important for automakers and lawmakers to work together to help keep all motorists safe by mandating such safety features in these vehicles.
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