In the US, in the near future, all new passenger vehicles will be required to have automatic emergency braking as a standard feature. This regulation was introduced by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in an effort to prevent road accidents, save lives, and reduce injuries. The government views this as the most significant safety rule in the last two decades due to the high number of annual traffic deaths.
Although about 90% of new vehicles already have automatic braking as a standard feature due to a voluntary agreement with automakers, the lack of performance requirements means that some systems may not be as effective. The new regulation sets standards for vehicles to automatically stop and avoid collisions with other vehicles or pedestrians, even at night. This will require additional engineering to enhance software and possibly add hardware such as radar, which will drive up prices but is estimated to save lives and prevent injuries and property damage.
The new regulation requires all passenger vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds to have forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian detection braking. Vehicles must be able to avoid collisions with vehicles in front of them, stop automatically when collisions are imminent, and detect pedestrians during the day and night. The goal is to prevent rear-end crashes, pedestrian fatalities, and injuries, which are most common on roads with speed limits of 60 mph or below and where most deaths and injuries occur at speeds above 25 mph.
NHTSA will conduct random tests to ensure automakers are meeting the standards, without specifying the type of sensors to be used. The agency considers regulation necessary to ensure that all vehicles are equipped with automatic emergency braking that meets minimum performance requirements. While critics argue that the standards should have been implemented sooner and should include provisions for cyclists and scooter users, the new regulations are expected to provide more clarity to consumers and increase the safety of vehicles.
Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, supports the new standards, stating that it is better to have automatic emergency braking than not to. However, she believes the timeline for automakers to meet the standards should be shorter in order to save more lives sooner. The regulation, which gives automakers more than five years to comply, will ensure that consumers are aware of the effectiveness of automatic emergency braking. Despite this, there are concerns that the rule does not address standards for vulnerable road users such as bicyclists and scooter users.
