Pedestrian safety is just one of the many aspects taking center-stage in the automotive industry after the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) released a statement urging automakers to improve their crash avoidance systems. All automakers are doing their part by offering the latest versions of their safety features, but some of the most effective systems don’t come standard.

 

After the IIHS crash tested the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GLE, it found the GLE models without Mercedes’ active brake assist feature didn’t bode well with the competition’s standard active pedestrian protection across all models. This is far from a new practice in the industry, but it does highlight a contentious area of new car sales that seems to be an unwinnable battle.