Washington, D.C. — The U.S.’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) put forth a proposal to its federal government on Wednesday that calls for automatic emergency braking and pedestrian AEB systems to be made mandatory on all passenger cars and light trucks.
The administration estimates that a ruling in its favour would save at least 360 lives a year and reduce injuries by at least 24,000 annually.
“We’ve seen the benefits of the AEB system in some passenger vehicles already even at lower speeds, and we want to expand the use of the technology to save even more lives,” said NHTSA chief counsel Ann Carlson.
“That’s why our proposed rule would require all cars to be able to stop and avoid contact with a vehicle in front of them up to 62 miles per hour. And the proposal would require pedestrian AEB, including requiring that AEB recognize and avoid pedestrians at night. This proposed rule is a major safety advancement.”
The NHTSA further claims that such a mandate would directly align with the National Roadway Safety Strategy, launched by the U.S.’s Department of Transportation in January 2022; a sentiment that Transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg echoed in Wednesday’s press release.
“Today, we take an important step forward to save lives and make our roadways safer for all Americans,” said Buttigieg.
“Just as lifesaving innovations from previous generations like seat belts and air bags have helped improve safety, requiring automatic emergency braking on cars and trucks would keep all of us safer on our roads.”
If adopted as proposed, nearly all U.S. light vehicles (gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less) will be required to have AEB technology three years after the publication of a final rule.
