Fleets and private drivers are being urged to ensure their new cars are fitted with Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) to help cut down on road deaths and serious injuries.

Thatcham says standard-fitment AEB could save 1,100 lives in the UK over the next 10 years.

The call comes from IAM RoadSmart, the RAC and a coalition of road safety and motor industry bodies who say the measure could save hundreds of lives on our roads.

According to Thatcham Research, AEB is “probably the most significant development in car safety since the seat belt” and could save 1,100 lives and 122,860 casualties in the UK over the next 10 years.

And research carried out by the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) in the US two years ago found that systems with automatic braking reduce rear-end crashes by about 40% on average, while forward collision warning alone cuts them by 23%

Gerry Keaney, CEO of the BVRLA, said: “If the combined buying power of fleets and government procurement can be harnessed to adopt AEB it could deliver substantial accident savings very soon.”For more of the latest industry news, click here.