NHTSA proposes required automatic emergency braking, AEB systems

The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to require automatic emergency braking and pedestrian AEB systems in all passenger and light trucks. If adopted, nearly all light vehicles in the U.S. would be required to have AEB technology three years after the publication of the final rule.

“We’ve seen the benefits of the AEB system in some passenger vehicles already even at lower speeds, and we want to expand the use of the technology to save even more lives. That’s why our 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. And the proposal would require pedestrian AEB, including requiring that AEB recognize and avoid pedestrians at night,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Ann Carlson said, in a statement. “This proposed rule is a major safety advancement.”

The NHTSA projects that the rule would save at least 360 lives a year and reduce injuries by at least 24,000 annually if finalized. The AEB systems, which use sensor technology to detect when a vehicle is close to crashing and automatically apply the brakes if the driver has not done so, would also result in a reduction in property damage caused by rear-end crashes, according to the release.

The rule is part of a larger strategy in the department, National Roadway Safety Strategy, which was launched in January 2022. The department has received more than $800 million in grants to carry out projects in communities with high-crash areas, according to the press release.

“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 in a statement. “Just as lifesaving innovations from previous generations like seatbelts and airbags have helped improve safety, requiring automatic emergency braking on cars and trucks would keep all of us safer on our roads.”