What if it's a cat? Cat runs into the road, car brakes hard, a car behind the car goes into the back of the first car. Cat wonders off scratching its ear.
I don't mind slamming on the brakes for a child, I'm stopping whatever happens, but if it's an animal in the road, I check the rear-view mirror first, then decide.
Ultimately the car behind would have been stopped by auto braking which would have prevented it from tailgating in the first place.
Every car has auto braking? Mine hasn't. Is it going to be a legal requirement that every car has to have it? Who's paying?
The problem is, that, at the moment the chances are that the car behind you will not have AEB, and as AEB will bring you to a halt far quicker than human intervention could, you could well be transferring the issue to the car behind. So you will still have an accident, but at least it won't be your fault.data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Obviously, once we all have it in 20 years time, the roads will be much safer.So there's no reason not to have it, and gradually the world will become a safer place, but it's not the immediate panacea some think it is.
Ultimately...
Until then, drive at an appropriate speed mindful of tailgaters.
Don't say that - you will anger the Driving Gods data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
Then surely the insurer of the car behind accepts liability for the accident? We all have to anticipate and leave enough room for the vehicle in front performing an emergency stop for any reason; whether its to avoid a car, cat, child, paper bag, etc - irrespective of AED (or any other safety aid) being equipped or not.
After I typed my reply, I did wonder if it was already implicit in "Ultimately" data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7
So we all get higher insurance premiums? So again more cost?
Do we?
I can see ahead of the car in front of me. I'm not expecting him to suddenly slam on the brakes. The chance of a child being around might not exist as it might be at night. The chance of a cat is likely. Do we need to spend lots of money and have lots of cars rear-ended at the cost of a few safe cats?
Also if your point is "we all have to anticipate and leave enough room for the vehicle in front performing an emergency stop for any reason" then this negates the need and the cost involved for the device.
This is the current norm - you run into the back of someone, it's your fault. So why would premiums increase? How manufacturers recover the costs of their investment into the development of this technology though - expect that will be borne by their customers who buy their cars.
We should, in an ideal world - but many don't. The cause of the driver in front slamming on their brakes is irrelevant, it could be a car, cat, pothole, day, night, fog, ice, rain - it doesn't matter. Only poor judgement and inadequate assessment of conditions prevents you from leaving enough distance from the car in front.