Lidar Coalition Says New IIHS Study Demonstrates Importance of Sensors on Vehicles that Can Detect Pedestrians at Night

WASHINGTON, D.C., FEBRUARY 4, 2022 – The Lidar Coalition, a group of the seven leading lidar manufacturers, applauds the IIHS for conducting a study to test camera- and radar-based pedestrian automatic emergency braking (“PAEB”) systems in low-light conditions, as most fatal pedestrian crashes happen at night. The concerning findings of this study, which show that camera- and radar-based PAEB is completely ineffective in low-light conditions, echo the message the Lidar Coalition has been bringing to policy makers and regulators since its inception, which is the following: without redundant sensor-based safety systems that can detect pedestrians at night, such as those equipped with lidar, PAEB systems will leave pedestrians in danger when they are most vulnerable, in low-light conditions.

The Lidar Coalition continues to advocate for the testing, evaluation, and rating of PAEB systems, including lidar-based PAEB systems, in low-light conditions.