Two new studies show how safety services and safety features in cars have helped reduce injuries in vehicle collisions. GM’S OnStar Injury Severity Prediction has been proven to help victims and first responders. Volvo’s City Safety collision avoidance has been proven to reduce insurance claims for rear-end frontal collisions by 28 percent.
OnStar Aids First Responders with ISP
OnStar’s Injury Severity Prediction service is accurately predicting the severity of crash victims’ injuries, allowing for improved on-scene treatment, according to a recent study.
Injury Severity Prediction (ISP) provides information to first responders following a vehicle crash. A computer algorithm analyzes crash information to determine the probability of severe injury to the vehicle occupants. OnStar Advisors then relay the Injury Severity Prediction rating to 9-1-1 centers, which may choose to adjust the level and priority of response dispatched to a crash scene.
Over the past four years, General Motors, OnStar and the University of Michigan’s International Center for Automotive Medicine (ICAM), led by Dr. Stewart Wang, conducted research that illustrates how crash data can assist first responders. This was the first known study to match real-life injury outcomes with crash telemetry data. The study confirmed that for the first time, under real world field conditions, occupant injury severity can be predicted using vehicle data.
Online training is being developed to familiarize first responders and medical directors with crash data and the associated Injury Severity Prediction. Pilot programs will be held in early summer. After input from the pilot sessions, the training will be adjusted and rolled out to all first responders in the fall.
OnStar Injury Severity Prediction is part of OnStar’s Automatic Crash Response service, available as part of the OnStar Protection, Security and Guidance plans.
Volvo Proves Collision Avoidance Reduces Claims
A scientific study performed on collision avoidance systems in cars revealed that Volvo Cars’ standard City Safety technology reduces insurance claims for rear-end frontal collisions by 28 percent.
The study of City Safety performance based on insurance claims from the Swedish insurers If and Volvia, revealed the value of auto braking collision avoidance systems.
City Safety helps reduce the incidence of whiplash and other neck-related injuries caused by low-speed traffic accidents as well as reduced accident damage and costs.
The figures from the study show that cars equipped with the first two generations of City Safety (active automatic braking in certain traffic situations) were involved in 28% fewer accidents and subsequent insurance claims
Insurance companies offered discounts of between 20-25% on insurance premiums in several markets for the City Safety.
Collision avoidance systems are increasingly popular with motorists that spend a lot of time behind the wheel in stop-and-go commuting traffic where the risk for low speed collisions is quite high. Volvo Cars introduced City Safety as standard in new models from 2008. The first generation of the technology worked at speeds up to 18 MPH. This was subsequently increased to 31 MPH from 2013. In 2015 City Safety has been updated in the XC90 and now operates at all speeds for this model only.