New research shows crash avoidance systems don’t always work

Reporter: Naomi Ruchim

(CBS) - New vehicles come with crash avoidance systems, but new research shows they don't always work.

Naomi Ruchim tells us where the vehicles fell short.

When put to the test, a new study finds the technology in most small SUVs doesn't prevent a front-end crash at real-world speeds.

David Aylor is with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) which tested the vehicle's ability to brake automatically when approaching a car or a motorcycle and warn drivers of a semi-trailer.

In previous tests, the vehicles performed well at speeds around 25 miles per hour but that changed at higher speeds of up to 43 miles an hour.

"We know there's room for improvement, especially with targets like motorcycles," said David Aylor, Vice President of Active Safety at IIHS.

Most of the vehicles failed to stop on their own with a motorcycle in the way with many crashing right through the dummy before stopping.

Out of 10 vehicles tested only the Subaru Forester received a good rating.

"They avoided crashes with the passenger car target. They provided adequate warnings in all the scenarios, and they even had significant mitigation in the highest speed with the motorcycle," explained Aylor.

The Honda CRV and the Toyota RAV4 received "acceptable" ratings and four vehicles received a poor rating including the Chevy Equinox and Mazda CX-5.

Chevy's parent company, GM, and Mazda tell CBS News they are evaluating the new test and will look to identify improvements.

"I know many of the manufacturers that didn't do quite as well will improve the systems," said Aylor.

IIHS believes those upgrades will make their way to future models.