The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed a new rule that would require all new passenger vehicles and light trucks with a gross vehicle weight rating of up to 10,000 pounds to have crash-avoidance technology. The safety technology includes automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and blind spot detection. The proposal, which is estimated to cost automakers over $282m annually across their entire vehicle fleet, has a compliance deadline of three years after the proposal is finalized with tougher requirements taking effect four years after that finalization. The NHTSA has estimated the proposal would prevent at least 360 deaths and reduce injuries by at least 24,000 on US roads annually.
According to the agency, at least 14 automakers have already met the voluntary commitment made in 2016 to equip 95% of their vehicles with automatic emergency braking; the commitment was brokered by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the NHTSA. The new safety technology proposal is part of a growing trend towards regulating electronic systems that handle tasks usually undertaken by drivers.
NHTSA is proposing that automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems become mandatory for new vehicles, along with pedestrian AEB, and meet stricter safety standards within three years. The latest announcement wants standard automatic emergency braking systems to include pedestrian detection. However, a 2019 study by the Automobile Association of America found that higher speeds or low light conditions affected the system’s performance. An overactive emergency braking system is also undesirable.
The proposed mandate, will require AEB to work at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour and for systems to recognise and avoid pedestrians at night could save a minimum of 360 lives and cut injuries and property damage from rear crashes. The NHTSA has announced a 60-day public comment period for the regulation proposal. Mandatory AEB system is already being implemented in European cars, and will become mandatory on all new models sold in the UK from 2022.
In summary, new US regulations have been proposed mandating the inclusion of crash-avoidance technology in new passenger vehicles, including automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, and blind spot detection. The proposed law comes with a compliance deadline of three years after the proposal is finalized, with tougher requirements taking effect four years after that finalization. At least 14 automakers have already met a 2016 voluntary commitment to equip 95% of their vehicles with automatic emergency braking. The proposal is a part of an emerging trend on regulating electronic systems, something already being implemented in Europe, andwill become mandatory in UK in 2022.
