Within three years, the U.S. government’s auto safety agency intends to mandate that all new light trucks and passenger automobiles come equipped with potentially life-saving automatic emergency braking and adhere to higher safety standards.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s announcement on Wednesday marks the organization’s most recent step toward regulating electronic devices that perform some functions that drivers typically perform.
In the past, NHTSA has resisted enacting regulations because technology will advance during this time.
90% of new passenger vehicles, according to Ann Carlson, senior counsel for the safety agency, now have the braking system thanks to a voluntary scheme that the industry has accepted.
However, she claims that NHTSA wants to improve pedestrian avoidance and make braking systems more effective at incredible speeds.
For instance, if a driver fails to react, the regulation suggested by NHTSA would mandate that the systems allow vehicles to avoid other vehicles at up to 50 miles per hour.
The plan would have to avoid hitting another car at up to 62 mph if the driver used some but insufficient braking to prevent a collision.
With this plan, a high-speed collision that would otherwise be fatal could instead result in only minor injuries or property damage, according to Carlson.
Before NHTSA decides on a final version of the regulations, the regulations will go through a 60-day public comment period.
The announcement is the agency’s response to congressional mandates that automakers outfit new passenger vehicles with automated braking and other safety equipment.
These mandates were included in the bipartisan infrastructure law 2021, which Congress adopted.
With the help of automatic emergency braking, a vehicle can be stopped or slowed down to avoid a collision or lessen its severity.
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