In a significant move towards enhancing automotive safety, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced a new rule requiring all new light vehicles sold in the United States to be equipped with automatic emergency braking (AEB) by 2029. This mandate aims to improve road safety by implementing advanced technologies in vehicles.
The rule stipulates that by 2029, all new vehicles must feature three key technologies: forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and pedestrian automatic emergency braking. According to NHTSA estimates, these technologies could save at least 360 lives annually and prevent around 24,000 injuries.
Automakers have already been making strides towards offering these safety features as standard equipment. Last year, 20 automakers committed to equipping over 95 percent of their vehicles produced in the US with automatic emergency braking, meeting the pledge set by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Additionally, in 2019, Consumer Reports announced that vehicles aiming to earn its Top Picks award would need to include pedestrian automatic emergency braking.
The new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard rule not only mandates these features but also outlines specific conditions under which the systems must operate. Vehicles must be capable of stopping at speeds up to 62 miles per hour to avoid collisions with other vehicles, detect pedestrians both during the day and at night, and engage the brakes at speeds up to 90 miles per hour when detecting an imminent collision with another vehicle, and up to 45 mph when detecting a pedestrian.
This mandate reflects a collective effort to prioritize safety in the automotive industry and underscores the importance of advanced safety technologies in preventing accidents and saving lives on the road.
