The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration made a brave step on Monday to tell automakers within five years They are all commissioned Integrating technology into cars that is already widely used if not 100 percent accepted. Starting in 2029, all new cars and trucks sold in the US market will be required to automatically brake in an emergency. Admittedly, the regulations will push automakers forward to improve their technologieswhich imposes stricter rules than these The technology currently works in most situations.
While I think 2029 is far too late and most systems will require minor adjustments at best, it is still good safety equipment to mandate will hopefully save many lives.
According to the new NHTSA document, the mandate will require that all “light vehicles,” including trucks, cars, SUVs and vans, must be able to apply the brakes to avoid a collision with another vehicle, even if the driver does not do this. The test requirement requires the vehicle to completely avoid impacting an object from a speed of 62 mph, and the system must at least begin braking at speeds up to 90 mph. Unlike many existing technologies, the system must also be able to detect pedestrians and avoid collisions.
Honda was the first automaker to introduce such a system in 2003, then called the Collision Mitigation Brake System. This system warned the driver audibly if he did not brake in time to brake in time, pre-tension the seat belt and start applying the brakes independently. Toyota followed with a similar system on the Celsior luxury sedan available on the Japanese market in 2003. Mercedes had shown a similar “Pre-Safe” system at the 2002 Paris Motor Show, but it did not incorporate emergency braking to avoid forward collisions in production vehicles until 2006, when the S-Class had autonomous cruise control.
Out of A New York Times report:
Automakers said they needed no push to introduce the systems, pointing out that in 2016 they voluntarily agreed to make the technology standard in all new cars and trucks. Around 90 percent of new vehicles for sale now have an automatic emergency braking function.
This technology will be a full 26 years old before the US government mandates its use. Given that about 40,000 Americans die in car accidents each year, it seems like it could have come sooner.