Accidents are an inherent part of being human and, unfortunately, do not remain in the area of traffic. It is something that can be summarized as “living kills”, and that basically reminds us of human fragility. If to avoid one of the great human dangers, which are falls in the shower, different anti-slip elements were invented, in the automotive industry elements have been implemented to avoid accidents or minimize their consequences.
The list is almost endless and ranges from purely mechanical improvements to systems such as ABS, traction control and its derivatives, as well as helmets, airbags… And the latest batch of automation systems that are implying, mainly in cars, that technology is in charge of making safety decisions.
Faced with an alarmed population with their cell phone in their hand even when driving, the truth is that at first it doesn’t seem like a bad idea for a machine with artificial intelligence to replace human stupidity. But, there is always a but, the plan seems to be not going as planned, and some cars are making incorrect decisions, generating major safety problems and accidents.
Phantom braking, the big problem
These accidents are being caused by what has been called “phantom braking” and that, as happens with some drivers, suddenly and without any sense of any kind, the car interprets a non-existent danger and makes an emergency brake. As the information shows, the first event of this type recorded in France took place last year, on the A40 in France.
There, traveling at 120 km/h, suddenly the car, which in this case was a Peugeot 208, decided that it was a good time to brake hard and stop, causing a chain accident. This, which in itself can be critical in a car, if a motorcycle is driving behind it, practically becomes a death sentence.
The fact is that, after this accident, more attention has begun to be paid to the issue, and it turns out that it is much more common. In fact, sudden and violent decelerations without reason have begun to be recorded and, always collecting data from France, it affects cars of various brands and more than 250 similar situations have already been reported.
Such is the situation that in the neighboring country they have already taken the matter to court with a collective legal action that seeks to obtain responses from manufacturers and authorities. But at the same time, this is what happens when the policy works, the French Ministry of Transport has launched a parallel investigation in the hands of an external body to determine how the situation is.
Meanwhile, logic says that in our country, on our roads and highways with infinite potholes, this situation must be happening. So we will have to be even more aware when we go out on the road, and apply the maxim of defensive driving: think that everyone is against you.
