A group representing major automakers, including General Motors, Toyota Motor, and Volkswagen, has urged the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to reconsider a rule issued in April that mandates nearly all new cars and trucks to have advanced automatic emergency braking systems by 2029. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation stated that the requirement for vehicles to be able to stop and avoid collisions at speeds up to 62 miles per hour is “practically impossible with available technology.”
The Alliance for Automotive Innovation argued that NHTSA’s strict requirements at higher driving speeds could lead to rear-end collisions, as vehicles would be applying brakes far in advance of what drivers and others on the road would expect. The group also claimed that NHTSA underestimated the significant hardware and software changes necessary for vehicles to comply with the rule.
John Bozzella, the CEO of the auto group, expressed concerns that the more costly systems required by NHTSA’s rule would not necessarily improve driver or pedestrian safety. He criticized the agency for rejecting automakers’ concerns and suggested that the regulation indicated a breakdown in the deliberative rulemaking process at the country’s top traffic safety watchdog.
While safety advocates have supported the new rule, arguing that existing automatic emergency braking systems were not performing well, automakers have recommended that NHTSA adopt a European standard that includes forward collision detection, driver warnings, and automatic engagement of the braking system. In 2016, 20 automakers had voluntarily agreed to equip nearly all U.S. vehicles with automatic emergency braking systems by 2022, but critics have emphasized the importance of government regulations to ensure the effectiveness of such systems.
NHTSA, which did not provide immediate comments on the automakers’ concerns, had previously stated that the new rule could save at least 360 lives annually and prevent 24,000 injuries, particularly as traffic deaths spiked following the COVID-19 pandemic. The rule mandates the automatic application of brakes up to 90 mph in the event of an imminent collision with another vehicle and up to 45 mph when a pedestrian is detected.
In conclusion, the issue of automatic emergency braking systems continues to be a point of contention between automakers and safety advocates, with both sides emphasizing the importance of ensuring vehicle and pedestrian safety while also considering the technological limitations and cost implications of implementing such systems. The future of the NHTSA’s rule and its potential impact on road safety remain key topics of debate within the automotive industry.