Advances in auto safety technology take 30 years to spread through vehicle fleets: IIHS

Advances in safety technology occur at a rapid pace, but it takes decades for these safety features to spread through entire fleets of vehicles, reports the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).
According to the IIHS, it takes at least 30 years for a promising safety feature to spread to 95% of vehicles on the road.
The IIHS referred to data collected by the Highway Loss Data Institute. It noted that head-protecting side airbags were first introduced in model year 1998. By 2005, they were standard for drivers on 33% of models and optional on 20%. They are expected to be available for 95% of vehicles on the road in 2028, the IIHS reported.
Similarly, electronic stability control (ESC) was introduced in 1995 models and was standard on 10% of 2000 models and optional on 4%. The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requires that ESC be standard on all passenger vehicles as of 2012. Researchers predict that 95% of registered vehicles in 2029 will have either come with ESC standard or had it available as an option.
“Federal mandates, safety ratings that reward certain features and other factors can speed up the rate at which technology ends up in new models and therefore in registered vehicles,” the IIHS said. “For example, if all new vehicles were equipped with forward collision warning starting in 2013, it would take until 2034 instead of 2049 for 95% of vehicles to have been sold with that feature available.”
Because of the small percentage of drivers who rarely replace their vehicle, it takes a decade or more for a feature to go from 95% availability in the fleet to just shy of 100%, the IIHS added.