New Vehicle Technology Helping To Prevent Pedestrian-Involved Auto Accidents

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --Halloween is one of the deadliest days for pedestrian-involved auto accidents but new technology on vehicles is helping to prevent these types of crashes. Some of today's vehicles have sensors that are supposed to detect a pedestrian and automatically stop the car.

The problem with these features is reliability.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tested 16 brands with mannequins and found the automatic breaks don't always work.

Right now, most car makers are offering this technology as an upgrade.

Another area for improvement is reliability at night, when pedestrians are most vulnerable, experts say.