March 17, 2016—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) announced Thursday the commitment of 20 automakers representing more than 99 percent of the U.S. auto market to make automatic emergency braking a standard feature on nearly all new cars by Sept. 1, 2022.
Committing automakers are Audi, BMW, FCA US LLC, Ford, General Motors, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Kia, Maserati, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Tesla Motors Inc., Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo Car USA.
“It’s an exciting time for vehicle safety. By proactively making emergency braking systems standard equipment on their vehicles, these 20 automakers will help prevent thousands of crashes and save lives,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “It’s a win for safety and a win for consumers."
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) helps reduce the severity of or prevent crashes by applying the brakes for the driver. Sensors warn the driver and apply the brakes if the driver does not take sufficient action quickly enough. The IIHS estimates that AEB will prevent 28,000 crashes and 12,000 injuries over the three years the NHTSA estimates AEB standardization would have taken through normal regulatory processes.
“We’re getting these safety systems into vehicles much faster than what would have been otherwise possible,” NHTSA administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind said. “A commitment of this magnitude is unprecedented, and it will bring more safety to more Americans sooner.”