Auto-Safety Regulators in the United States Demand Automatic Emergency Braking in Future Vehicles
Auto safety regulators in the United States seek to require automated emergency braking on practically all future vehicles and trucks, claiming that this will save lives and reduce injuries in car accidents.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a new regulation on Wednesday that would require automakers to sell cars equipped with advanced safety technology, which uses a combination of sensors and software to detect road hazards and brake the car itself if the driver does not act quickly enough.
The move represents a significant step by authorities to harness some of the automated driving technology that automakers have primarily introduced as an optional feature to combat what has been a sharp increase in road fatalities in recent years.
According to the NHTSA, the proposed regulation could save at least 360 lives per year and prevent at least 24,000 injuries per year.
The government stated that if the rule is accepted, automakers would have up to three years to comply with the new automatic emergency braking requirement.
The rule requires the technology to have certain characteristics, such as the ability to stop the automobile in order to prevent colliding with a vehicle in front of it when moving at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour. According to Ann Carlson, NHTSA’s chief counsel, it would also need to detect and avoid pedestrians at night.
“This proposed rule is a major safety advancement,” Carlson added.
According to the NHTSA, about 43,000 individuals died in automobile crashes last year, an increase of nearly 19% from 2019.
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, which represents state highway-safety offices, pedestrian deaths increased by 18% between the first halves of 2019 and 2022.
In 2016, automakers voluntarily decided to make automated emergency braking standards on all automobiles and trucks. However, authorities claim that the commitment did not go far enough in outlining particular standards for the technology that would make it more effective in decreasing injuries and deaths.
Automakers, which sell the technology as a safety feature, have also struggled to develop the technology in the past. Many drivers have reported software issues as well as phantom braking instances, in which a car stops unexpectedly for no apparent cause.
Furthermore, the NHTSA has been investigating potential flaws in autonomous emergency braking systems manufactured by a number of automakers, including Nissan Motor and Tesla.
The agency stated that it expects automakers to create braking systems that restrict the possibility of incorrect activations.
The regulators will then solicit public feedback on the proposed regulation.
