Forward Collision Warning

Forward Collision Warning Safety Feature

A forward collision warning system (FCW) detects a potential collision with a vehicle ahead and alerts the driver with a visual and audible signal. Some systems also provide alerts for pedestrians or other objects. Some systems may also activate Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) to avoid a collision.

Forward Collision Warning System Saves Lives

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) estimates as many as 1.9 million total crashes could be prevented or mitigated each year if all vehicles were equipped with forward-collision systems. NTSB figures show that almost half of all two-vehicle crashes involved a rear-end collision. Those accidents claim almost 1,700 lives per year and cause almost 500,000 injuries.

If FCW systems are augmented with automatic emergency braking the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) estimates AEB technology could reduce insurance injury claims by as much as 35 percent.

How Forward Collision Warning Systems Work

FCW systems use cameras, radar, or laser (or some combination called Lidar). The systems scan the road ahead and calculate the rate of closure between the vehicles or a stationary object. The system them alerts the driver with and audible, haptic (touch), and/or visual cue.

The more advanced systems include AEB to automatically stop the car quickly enough to avoid a collision at modest speeds, or to reduce the closing speed.

©, 2021 Rick Muscoplat