Until recently, most joint initiatives between the government and industry in the U.S. to help reduce traffic accident fatalities have focused on enhancing passive safety, such as through the safety assessment ratings of the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) and the like. In addition, active safety technologies, such as automated emergency braking (AEB) and lane departure warning (LDW) systems, have also started to become more widespread. This paper describes a study that estimated the safety performance of recent vehicle models by analyzing U.S. traffic accident databases. This data was then used to estimate the benefit of the safety systems in these vehicles and to guide the development of the next-generation of safety technology. The fatality rate of each collision mode in recent vehicles was compared by analyzing data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), and the key contributing factors of fatal collisions were analyzed and prioritized using data from the National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System (NASS-CDS). The estimated fatality rate reduction in all collision modes was identified by analyzing FARS data. A relatively large reduction in fatalities caused by side collisions and accidents not involving a collision (mainly rollovers) was found. The collision mode with the highest fatality rate for recent vehicles was frontal vehicle-to-vehicle (VTV) collisions. The most significant contributing factors in fatal frontal VTV head-on collisions were the advanced age of the driver, intrusion of the steering post into the cabin, high delta-V, and high occupant weight. The last three factors are particularly seen in high kinetic energy collisions. Although LDW systems are expected to help reduce frontal VTV head-on collisions, many collisions occur while the vehicle is negotiating a curve (not yet evaluated in NCAP tests) or while the other vehicle is traveling in the opposite direction in the same lane as the driver’s vehicle. The benefit of LDW systems in such scenarios is difficult to estimate. Therefore, as a supplement to LDW systems, AEB systems for oncoming vehicles are being considered to help reduce kinetic energy in frontal VTV collisions. This study estimated the potential fatality rate reduction using the relationship between velocity and the probability of a fatality occurring in a frontal collision. To enable safe activation of AEB in response to an oncoming vehicle, additional analysis of field data will be required to ensure that the system does not interfere with the normal operation of the driver. However, if this can be achieved, an AEB system for oncoming vehicles may help to reduce fatalities in traffic collisions in the U.S. Consequently, this paper also estimates the approximate benefit of this system.