Toronto, Ontario — Like the kid in class that somehow got their science project done a week early, Hyundai is showing off as among the first automakers to equip nearly all of their vehicles with automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems.
Beating the industry deadline by two years, 98 percent of all Hyundai vehicles produced this year were assembled with AEB-integration, as well as Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Lane Keep Assist/Lane Following and Driver Attention Warning, according to Hyundai.
“This accomplishment highlights our devotion to vehicle safety and the industry’s ability to work together and advance motor vehicle safety voluntarily,” said chief safety officer for Hyundai Motor North America, Brian Latouf.
Put forth by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Dec. 17, 2019, the U.S. government, along with 20 major automakers, signed a voluntary agreement to equip all vehicles with AEB systems by Sept. 1, 2022.
For repairers, this will likely mean fewer Hyundais will cross your path, but the repairs will be more complex when they do.
At the time the commitment was first introduced, Tesla, Volvo, Audi and Mercedes were the only automakers already producing a full lineup of AEB-equipped vehicles.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) estimates that AEB systems that can first warn the driver and then hit the brakes can reduce rear-end crashes by half. Just alerting the driver will cut more than 25 percent of them, IIHS research has found.
