Rule Requiring Automatic Emergency Braking System For New Vehicles Proposed In US

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would require automatic emergency braking and pedestrian AEB systems on passenger cars and light trucks.

The proposed rule is expected to dramatically reduce crashes associated with pedestrians and rear-end crashes.

NHTSA projects that if finalized, this proposed rule would save at least 360 lives a year and reduce injuries by at least 24,000 annually. In addition, these AEB systems would result in significant reductions in property damage caused by rear-end crashes.

“Today, we take an important step forward to save lives and make our roadways safer for all Americans,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “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,” he added.

The proposed rule is a key component of the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, which was launched in January 2022 to address the national crisis in traffic fatalities and serious injuries. The NRSS adopts the safe system approach and builds multiple layers of protection with safer roads, safer people, safer vehicles, safer speeds and better post-crash care.

The 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, according to NHTSA Chief Counsel Ann Carlson.

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.

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