Four of 20 automakers – three luxury makes and Toyota – report that automatic emergency braking (AEB) is now standard on more than half of their 2017 model year vehicles. That news came in a joint announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
NHTSA and IIHS are tracking progress by the 20 automakers who pledged to voluntarily equip virtually all new passenger vehicles by Sept. 1, 2022, with a low-speed AEB system that includes forward collision warning, which has been proven to help prevent and mitigate front-to-rear crashes.
“The growing number of vehicles offering automated emergency braking is good news for America’s motorists and passengers,” said Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Consumer Reports supported the automakers’ commitment and agreed to help monitor their progress.
“This progress is great news for luxury car buyers and many others, but many automakers still need to do more, as Consumer Reports analysis indicates that only 19 percent of 2017 models included these lifesaving technologies as standard features,” said David Friedman of Consumers Union, a division of Consumer Reports.
Six automakers make vehicles with AEB standard: Tesla (99.8 percent), Mercedes-Benz (96 percent), Volvo (68 percent), Toyota (56 percent), Honda (30 percent) and Hyundai (9 percent). All the others make vehicles with AEB as an option, though it is a small percentage for many, including General Motors (20 percent), Fiat Chrysler (6 percent) and Ford (2 percent).
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