Progress in Road Safety
Technology continues to make driving safer. New research has found that automatic emergency braking systems have significantly improved in detecting pedestrians at night.
When AAA conducted testing in 2019, they found that automatic emergency braking systems were “completely ineffective at night.”
This is especially important, given that over 75% of fatal pedestrian incidents occur after dark.
Updated Tests and Their Results
To check if improvements had occurred since 2019, AAA conducted a new series of tests with four modern cars: the 2024 Honda Accord, 2025 Toyota Camry, 2025 Chevrolet Malibu, and 2025 Tesla Model 3. An “adult-sized pedestrian robot” was used, crossing the path of cars moving at 25 mph, simulating a real situation in residential areas.
The results were much better: automatic braking systems prevented 60% of accidents in dark conditions. This significantly exceeds the previous figure of 0%.
Comparison of Vehicle Effectiveness
Whereas in 2019 the Honda Accord failed to detect a pedestrian at night, the 2024 model now issued warnings and applied brakes in three out of five cases. This prevented a collision in two tests, and in the third, significantly reduced the impact speed.
The 2025 Toyota Camry showed a perfect result: the system warned the driver at a distance of approximately 73 feet and applied brakes on average at a distance of 42.7 feet. Thanks to this, the car never hit the pedestrian.
The Tesla Model 3 detected the pedestrian and applied brakes in all five cases. It prevented a collision in 80% of the tests, and in the single case where an impact occurred, the speed was reduced to 8.7 mph.
The Impact of Bright Clothing on Safety
AAA also investigated whether pedestrians’ bright clothing affects the system’s operation. During the day, there was no difference in results, but at night the results were contradictory: in some cases, improvement was observed, in others – a complete loss of detection.
The Honda Accord collided with the pedestrian in all five cases when the pedestrian wore bright clothing – this is two times more than without it. In contrast, the Tesla Model 3 improved its performance and avoided collisions in all tests.
The Role of the Driver and Pedestrian in Safety
Greg Brannon, Director of Automotive Engineering Research at AAA, noted: “The recent improvements in automatic braking systems for pedestrians are encouraging, but there is still much work to be done.”
He emphasized that the ambiguous results with bright clothing indicate the need for further system refinement. Drivers were advised to remain vigilant, especially at night, and not to rely entirely on safety systems, as they only assist and are not perfect. Pedestrians should also be cautious and attentive when crossing the road.
The rapid progress in automatic braking technology over the past six years shows how important continuous innovation in safety is. Although the systems have not yet reached perfection, their development can significantly reduce the number of accidents involving pedestrians, especially in poor visibility conditions. Future improvements will likely focus on enhancing performance in various conditions, including the impact of pedestrian clothing on system operation.