New U.S. passenger cars and light trucks must have automatic emergency brakes as standard by the fall of 2029 to comply with a new federal rule.
The U.S. transportation department enacted the rule as a way to cut highway deaths, including pedestrian fatalities. It estimates that the measure will annually save a minimum of 360 lives and prevent at least 24,000 injuries by drastically reducing rear-end crashes and pedestrian collisions.
Sophie Shulman, deputy administrator of department agency National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, pointed out that most new vehicles today have the technology as standard and that it expects many others can meet the new rule ahead of schedule.
“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,” she said in a press release. “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.”
The rule specifically requires the braking technology to stop a vehicle traveling at up to 62 mph to prevent it from hitting a vehicle in front of it and to pinpoint pedestrians in daylight and after dark when the vehicle is traveling at speeds up to 45 mph.
It applies to light vehicles 10,000 pounds in weight or lighter.
