NHTSA Mandates Automatic Emergency Braking For All Vehicles

Though some recent tests have found that many automatic emergency braking systems struggle with bikes, large trucks, night time driving, and higher speeds, there’s no denying that this type of technology prevents accidents and saves lives. That’s precisely why the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) has long been pushing for improvements to automatic emergency braking systems, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) previously asked automakers to pledge to install these same systems in the bulk of their vehicles – a pledge that Ford met years ahead of schedule. Turns out, that helped The Blue Oval get ahead of the curve, because now, the NHTSA has mandated AEB for all new vehicles.

The NHTSA has officially finalized a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard – FMVSS No. 127 – that will make automatic emergency braking – including pedestrian AEB – standard on all passenger cars and light trucks (U.S. light vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less) by September 2029. The agency expects that this rule will result in a significant reduction in rear-end and pedestrian crashes, saving at least 360 lives a year and preventing a minimum of 24,000 injuries annually.

This new safety standard mandates that all applicable vehicles be able to stop and avoid contact with another vehicle in front of them at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour, and that the systems must also detect pedestrians in both daylight and darkness. In addition, the standard requires that the system apply the brakes automatically up to 90 mph when a collision with a lead vehicle is imminent, and up to 45 mph when a pedestrian is detected.

“Automatic emergency braking is proven to save lives and reduce serious injuries from frontal crashes, and this technology is now mature enough to require it in all new cars and light trucks. In fact, this technology is now so advanced that we’re requiring these systems to be even more effective at higher speeds and to detect pedestrians,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman. “Most new vehicles already come with AEB, and we expect that many cars and light trucks will be able to meet this standard ahead of the deadline, meaning even more lives will be saved thanks to this technology.”

We’ll have more on automatic emergency braking and other safety systems soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for 24/7 Ford news coverage.