Feds Want AEB Systems to be Standard
Twenty automakers entered into a voluntary agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to equip their light passenger vehicles with low-speed automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems that include a forward collision warning. The agency recently announced the progress made by those auto manufacturers. Some automakers implemented the changes much faster than expected.
Watch the YouTube video. The clip below explains how AEB systems work.
Terms of the Voluntary Commitment
Under the terms of the voluntary agreement, which were supposed to be fulfilled by August 31, 2023, automakers must install AEB systems on their vehicles that meet certain performance standards related to forward collision warning (FCW) and AEB. The FCW standard is part of NHTSA’s 5-Star Safety Rating requirements and relates to how the driver alerts are timed. The AEB system must reach, at a minimum, an advanced rating in the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) front crash prevention tests. The performance measures for the front crash prevention tests are 1) speed reduced by at least 10 mph in either the 12 or 25 mph tests, or 2) speed reduced at least 5 mph in both tests.
The voluntary agreement is projected to prevent more than 40,000 crashes and approximately 20,000 injuries by the year 2025. Those projected numbers come from IIHS research findings that front crash prevention systems equipped with both FCW and AEB reduce rear-end collisions by 50%.
Who Were the High Achievers?
Ten automobile manufactures raced ahead of the 2022-2023 target to fulfill the voluntary commitment to add AEB to nearly all new light vehicles produced for the American market. This is good news for automobile safety advocates as well as the general driving public. The ten automakers that have fulfilled the goal way ahead of schedule are:
- Volkswagen
- Toyota
- Subaru
- Mazda
- Hyundai
- BMW
- Tesla
- Volvo
- Mercedes-Benz
- Audi
The above vehicle manufacturers equipped more than 95% of the vehicles they produce with the agreed-upon technology between September 2019 and the end of August 2020. Three other automakers – Ford, Honda, and Nissan – exceeded 90% of their vehicles produced. Two companies came in with middle-of-the-pack results: Kia equipped 75% percent of its vehicles with AEB, and Porsche hit the 55% mark. Not every automaker rushed to meet the standard – five out of the twenty manufacturers that signed on to the voluntary commitment added AEB technology to fewer than half of their manufactured vehicles.
Who are the Stragglers?
The vehicles that outfitted less than half of their light-duty vehicles with AEB are:
- General Motors
- Fiat Chrysler
- Maserati
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Mitsubishi
Consumer Reports Says: Keep Up the Momentum
The vice president of advocacy for Consumer Reports hopes that the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA) continues to build on the progress made by ensuring that all new vehicles come standard with more advanced technology by 2025, including pedestrian detection systems.
Chico Personal Injury Lawyer
Hello. Thanks for reading. I’m Ed Smith, a personal injury lawyer in Chico, California. For more than 38 years, I have been a legal advocate for injured Northern Californians. We here at AutoAccident.com look forward to the day when automobile safety technology such as automatic emergency braking greatly reduces the number of injuries that occur each year in auto accidents. We aren’t there yet. Sustaining injuries in an auto collision can have a dramatically negative impact on one’s enjoyment of life. An experienced injury lawyer can help relieve some of the stress and anxiety and make sure you receive fair compensation. If you have been injured in a car accident, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at (530) 392-9400. If you will be calling from outside the 530 area code, use our toll-free number – (800) 404-5400.
For more information about our firm, please review our Verdicts and Settlements page. Many testimonials from prior clients can be found at the sites below:
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