Many new cars can effectively apply the brakes on their own to avoid a crash with a pedestrian. But for now, that鈥檚 primarily during the daytime, because all bets are off when the sun goes down.
鈥淭he major pedestrian fatality problem is at night, and that鈥檚 why we wanted to start testing at night,鈥� said Insurance Institute for Highway Safety President David Harkey.
The result: Only one of the 23 vehicles IIHS tested 鈥� the Nissan Pathfinder 鈥� avoided a collision with a pedestrian dummy in all of its nighttime scenarios.
While they didn鈥檛 perform quite as well, the Ford Mustang Mach-E, Toyota Camry and Toyota Highlander joined the Pathfinder in earning IIHS鈥� highest rating of superior.
Four vehicles 鈥� the Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Pilot, Nissan Altima and Toyota Tacoma 鈥� performed especially poorly. Those did not slow at all, or barely reduced speed, before striking a dummy in multiple nighttime scenarios.
Manufacturers like Nissan and Toyota can earn both high and low marks because different vehicles can have different pedestrian detection and auto-braking systems, Harkey said.
Still, Harkey maintains the fact that any vehicles did well is encouraging.
鈥淪o it鈥檚 not that it鈥檚 going to take new technology, it鈥檚 simply going to take an improvement in the technology that exists to work at nighttime,鈥� he said.
He added that nighttime pedestrian detection and auto-braking were only part of the solution for the nighttime pedestrian death problem, along with factors such as better headlights, slower speeds and educating pedestrians to wear light-colored and reflective clothing.
The nighttime pedestrian tests will become part of IIHS鈥� Top Safety Pick criteria beginning with the 2023 model year.
