As cars get smarter and smarter with each and every passing year, the automotive industry keeps focusing on digitalization and all things related to technology. Autonomous cars will be the next big thing, but let’s keep our feet on the ground and think about how much these babies will cost when they hit the market. To boot, lots of people don’t want them.
Those who don’t want such a sci-fi contraption will still get a feature that is of great importance for the autonomous car. I’m referring to what the industry calls automatic braking. In its quest to make the car of tomorrow safer, the U.S. Department of Transportation announces that all cars will come with automatic braking as standard by September 2022.
According to the DOT and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, twenty automakers expressed their commitment to making the technology a standard feature on all cars. These carmakers are Volvo, Audi, BMW, all Fiat Chrysler brands (including Maserati), Ford, all General Motors brands, Kia, Honda, Hyundai, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda, Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Porsche, Subaru, Toyota, and VW.
Officially referred to as AEB, automatic emergency braking helps with reducing the severity or preventing a crash altogether. It does so by using sensors such as lasers, cameras or radar to detect an imminent crash. In the event the driver doesn’t react quickly enough, the AEB system will jump on the brakes automatically. A simple solution, but an effective one at that.
Deborah A.P. Hersman, the president and CEO of the National Safety Council, had this to comment to make: “With roadway fatalities on the rise, the commitment made today has the potential to save more lives than almost anything else we can accomplish in the next six years. Including all models in the agreement ensures that safety isn't for just those who can afford it."
The regulation applies to all light-duty passenger cars and pickup trucks with a gross weight of 8,500 pounds (3,855 kilograms) or less. By September 2025, automatic braking is going to be mandatory for all pickup trucks with a gross weight of between 8,501 pounds (3,856 kg) and 10,000 pounds (4,536 kg). More info on the subject can be found in the fact sheet attached below the video.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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