NHTSA to recommend automatic emergency braking

NHTSA to recommend automatic emergency braking

Starting with MY 2018, NHTSA will include automatic emergency braking (AEB) as a recommended safety technology for its 5-Star rating System.

–AEB can substantially enhance safety, especially with the number of distracted drivers on the road,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

AEB systems work with or without driver intervention, by combining inputs from forward-looking radar and/or camera sensors and driver inputs to determine if a rear-end crash is likely to happen. AEB technology includes two systems: crash-imminent braking — which applies the brakes in cases where a rear-end crash is imminent and the driver isnêt taking any action to avoid it — and dynamic brake support, which supplements the driverês braking if the driver isnêt applying sufficient braking to avoid a rear-end crash.

The decision is one of a series of steps NHTSA and DOT have undertaken to accelerate the spread of crash avoidance technology. In September, NHTSA and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety announced that 10 major vehicle manufacturers have committed to making AEB standard on all new vehicles. NHTSA is also completing a proposal to require transmitters for vehicle-to-vehicle safety communications in new cars, and to identify and address potential obstacles to safety innovations within its existing regulations.