NHTSA unveils automatic emergency braking proposal for light vehicles

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working toward a rule that would require automatic emergency braking on passenger cars and light trucks.

The agency announced the unveiling of a notice of proposed rulemaking on Wednesday, May 31. If adopted as proposed, nearly all U.S. light vehicles (gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less) will be required to have automatic emergency braking technology three years after the publication of a final rule.

NHTSA also has been working on a proposal regarding automatic emergency braking systems on heavy vehicles, but it will likely be weeks before a notice of proposed rulemaking is released. The notice was sent to the White House Office of Management and Budget on April 4 and is awaiting approval before it can be published in the Federal Register and opened for public comment.

Although the specifics of the notice haven’t been released, previous regulatory agendas state that it “will seek comments on a proposal to require and/or standardize equipment performance for automatic emergency braking on heavy trucks.”

Automatic emergency braking on light vehicles

NHTSA says its proposal to require automatic braking systems on passenger cars and trucks will save “at least 360 lives a year.” The agency also predicts that the mandate would decrease traffic injuries by 24,000 annually.

“Today, we can take an important step forward to save lives and make our roadways safer for all Americans,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a news release. “Just as lifesaving innovations from previous generations like seat belts and air bags have helped improve safety, requiring automatic braking on cars and trucks would keep all of us safer on our roads.”

NHTSA probe into automatic brakes

As NHTSA moves forward with its proposal for automatic emergency braking on light vehicles and a notice for heavy vehicles remains under review, the agency also is investigating complaints that the automatic emergency braking on Freightliner Cascadia trucks can stop unexpectedly for no apparent reason. The probe covers model years 2017 through 2022 and a total of about 250,000 trucks.

According to NHTSA documents, there have been 18 complaints of false automatic emergency braking activation “without an actual roadway obstacle.” In some instances, the false activation brought the truck to a complete stop in the travel lane. NHTSA did not report any crashes caused by the false braking.

The investigation was opened to determine if the alleged defect creates an unreasonable risk to safety.

Carlson’s nomination withdrawn

The White House has withdrawn the nomination of Ann Carlson to be NHTSA’s administrator.

Carlson was nominated for the role in February but faced significant Republican opposition. She has served NHTSA as the acting administrator since September.

Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s previous administrator, left the agency to become executive officer for the California Air Resources Board.

Before Cliff left, Carlson served as NHTSA’s chief counsel. She also taught environmental law at the University of California, Los Angeles School of Law and also founded the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at UCLA. LL