With the help of an operator-led working group, International Carwash Association regularly monitors new car technologies and their potential impact on the professional car wash industry. We have previously reported on our outreach to automobile manufacturers about the challenges that new safety systems can pose for car washes, particularly the conveyor segment. (See the ICA Blog at carwash.org.) There is a high degree of variability in these systems, and disabling them can be difficult (or even impossible) for both car owners and car wash operators.
In late 2015, 10 major auto manufacturers, through the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, announced their intention to make collision avoidance systems available as standard equipment on all car, truck and SUV models they sell. This decision was encouraged and supported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. But, early this year, safety organizations began objecting to the approach being taken, and advocated for regulations to be created by the federal government instead of the automotive industry itself.
Central to the concerns voiced by organizations like the Center for Automotive Safety were automated braking systems. This technology can engage a vehicle’s brakes automatically when obstructions are sensed in front of, or next to, the automobile. Iterations of this technology have already caused issues in car washes when wraps or other equipment causes the brakes to engage and halt a vehicle’s progress on the conveyor.
International Carwash Association has reached out to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety to make it aware of these issues. Ford Motor Company has replied, sharing that its system will not engage the brakes until cars are moving at a speed of at least 7 miles per hour, well below car wash conveyor speeds.
You can find a searchable database (by year, make and model) that will show which collision avoidance systems are present in vehicles from 2001 to 2016 by visiting http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings/crash-avoidance-features and whether they are optional or standard.
International Carwash Association will continue to provide updates on these issues as they are available. In the meantime, you can report issues you’ve experienced at your car wash by visiting carwash.org or joining our “Car Wash Vehicle Information” group on LinkedIn.com