The United States has just approved major regulations for cars that bring them one step closer to fully automated vehicles. The US government will require the installation of an automated emergency braking system in all new cars starting in 2029. This will not change much in practice, since most new cars sold in 2024 are already equipped with one . However, it could mark the start of a government effort to encourage the auto industry to improve technology, which can be very inconsistent and not live up to the hype.
Automated emergency braking system becomes a standard in the United States
Technology is becoming more embedded in vehicles, whether electric or not. From the infotainment system to semi-autonomous driving technology, manufacturers add features every cycle, and often charge for them. One of these features is the automatic emergency braking system. It is designed to detect objects in the path of a car and brake to avoid a potential accident. The first versions of this technology made it possible to avoid hitting a stopped car. Newer versions are designed to detect ever smaller objects.
The United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on April 29 that it will require automated emergency braking systems for all new vehicles by September 2029. Federal standardization of automated emergency braking systems Emergency also includes emergency braking with piton identification. Once implemented, NHTSA projects that this standard will save at least 360 lives per year and prevent at least 24,000 injuries per year. The agency says rear-end collisions and pedestrian injuries will decrease significantly.
“The new auto safety standards we finalized today will save hundreds of lives and prevent tens of thousands of injuries every year,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. Under new NHTSA rules, by September 2029, all cars must be able to stop and avoid contact with a vehicle in front of them at speeds of up to 17 km/h. Additionally, manufacturers need to improve their systems so that they are able to detect pedestrians both in daylight and in darkness.
Ultimately, the federal standard will require the system to automatically brake at a speed of up to 145 km/h when a collision is imminent, and up to 12 km/h when a pedestrian is detected. Automatic emergency braking is proven to save lives and reduce serious injuries in frontal crashes, and the technology is now advanced enough to require it in all new cars and vans. “We require these systems to be more effective at higher speeds and to detect pedestrians,” says NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman.
However, while this move towards increased road safety is admirable, deployment will take more than years. Likewise, recent tests have concluded that not all automated emergency braking systems are built the same. Other reviews also found that only a few models of automated emergency braking systems were able to properly detect motorcycles, while others failed to slow down sufficiently during testing. The NHTSA announcement sparked mixed reactions in the community.
Automated emergency braking systems are still far from being mature
Automated emergency braking systems, which are already fitted to many new vehicles, use sensors to detect other vehicles or pedestrians in front of the vehicle and, if the driver does not stop, they apply the brakes. Automatic emergency braking would make driving safer. Studies have shown that its widespread use has reduced the number of accidents by half, saving lives and preventing property damage. But systems don’t always work as they should, as evidenced by the braking problems in Tesla’s Cybertruck.
Tesla began delivering the Cybertruck late last year. But last month, the first drivers to test the pickup reported that it suffers from numerous faults, including critical steering alerts and unexpected hard braking when Autopilot is activated. In the past, Tesla vehicles have suffered from a problem with “phantom braking”, a term which refers to a situation in which the automated braking system detects imaginary incidents. There have been numerous reports of Tesla vehicles braking suddenly, sometimes leading to pileups.
According to experts, automated emergency braking systems work best at low speeds, and we do not limit our driving to low speeds. An insurance industry safety laboratory recently began testing systems for speeds above 40 km/h. In two rounds of testing, the study results were disappointing. Firstly, the report highlights that no mid-size SUV has successfully braked when a simulating car is in its path. In another series, the team notes that most compact SUVs have hit a motorcycle stopped in their lane.
The report indicates that the best systems tested nevertheless braked to reduce the severity of the collision. Other tests showed that the systems were much less effective at night. A recent series of tests revealed that automatic emergency braking when reversing is even less reliable. Experts tested four small SUVs to see if they could avoid crossing traffic behind them. Four failed 10 times out of 10, and one failed nine times out of 10. Most systems, however, gave an audible signal, which could prompt the driver to brake better than the technology could do alone.
In the past, automated emergency braking systems were only common on luxury cars. But almost every automaker has signed a pledge promising to integrate them before September 1, 2022. Today, they are found on almost every new car on sale. So, if the auto industry has already made the equipment standard in practice, why bother with a new one? Experts say once automated emergency braking systems become mandatory, regulators may require them to be effective.
Source: NHTSA press release
And you ?
What is your opinion on the subject?
What do you think of automated emergency braking systems?
Do these systems make driving safer as American regulators claim?
Are these automated systems mature enough to justify large-scale deployment?
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Will NHTSA’s approach make automated emergency braking systems more effective?
See as well
Tesla Cybertruck: Sudden and unexpected braking with Autopilot activated, error code preventing charging, owners accuse Tesla of rushing out of the vehicle
Reports of phantom braking of Teslas that detect imaginary incidents are increasing: a Tesla in Full Self-Driving mode brakes suddenly, leading to a pileup
Tesla announces massive recall of all Cybertrucks for faulty accelerator pedals, you no longer even need to activate Autopilot to have an accident
