AEB light vehicle rule sent to White House; heavy version expected soon

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s final rule to mandate automatic emergency braking systems on light vehicles has been sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget for review. The heavy-duty vehicle version likely isn’t far behind.

NHTSA delivered the light vehicle rule to OMB on Thursday, Jan. 18. Once the review is completed, the final rule will be published in the Federal Register. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Fall 2023 Unified Regulatory Agenda, the rule is expected to be published in April.

Last June, the agency issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to require automatic emergency braking systems on new light vehicles. NHTSA projected that a mandate would save at least 360 lives a year and reduce annual injuries by at least 24,000. If the rule is adopted as proposed, nearly all new U.S. vehicles weighing less than 10,000 pounds will be required to have AEB technology three years after it is published in the Federal Register.

The proposal prompted more than 1,000 comments.

Heavy vehicle AEB rule

Last year, NHTSA and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also issued a joint proposal that would require AEB systems and electronic stability control systems on new vehicles that weigh more than 10,000 pounds.

The proposal calls for all Class 7 and 8 vehicles – those weighing more than 26,000 pounds – to be required to meet the AEB standards three years after the rule takes effect. All Class 3 to 6 vehicles – those weighing 10,001 to 26,000 pounds – would be required to meet the AEB and electronic stability control requirements in four years. Small-volume manufacturers would have until five years after the final rule took effect. There would not be any retrofit requirements on existing heavy vehicles.

The heavy vehicle final rule also is projected to be released in April. However, it still has not been sent to OMB for review.

Opposition

Several lawmakers spoke out against the AEB proposal for trucks at a House Transportation and Infrastructure hearing in December.

Rep. Mike Collins, R-Ga., who owns a trucking company, told NHTSA and FMCSA leaders that the technology isn’t ready.

“I probably own about 80 trucks with the collision avoidance … I will tell you, they are not bulletproof,” Collins said. “They’re nowhere near it … We all want to be safe. That’s why I tried them. But they don’t work perfectly, and they’re very expensive. The technology is not there.”

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, which represents small-business truckers, told the agencies that drivers are experiencing way too many false activations with AEB systems.

“The notice of proposed rulemaking mandates AEB systems without sufficiently addressing false activations, properly consulting with professional truck drivers or completing ongoing research programs,” OOIDA wrote in comments signed by President Todd Spencer. LL