DETROIT—Many of the automatic braking systems automakers are using to prevent vehicles from hitting pedestrians do not work well in the dark, according to test results released Tuesday by the U.S. non-profit group Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The group, backed by the insurance industry, said 12 of the 23 sedans, midsize SUVs and small trucks it evaluated earned a “basic” rating or no credit at all, because they failed to detect or slow adequately for a dummy pedestrian in nighttime tests. About three-quarters of pedestrian deaths happen at night, the IIHS said.
