Crash Prevention Technology: A Mixed Road Ahead
Automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems, now standard in nearly all new cars, are showing immense potential in preventing collisions and saving lives. However, discussions continue regarding the best approaches to enhance and implement this technology.
At the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) facility in Ruckersville, Virginia, crash prevention systems undergo rigorous testing under real-world conditions. David Aylor, Vice President for Active Safety Testing at IIHS, demonstrates how these systems operate.
“What we’re going to do here is I’m going to drive at the target, maybe act like a distracted driver that maybe doesn’t see it,” Aylor explains as he prepares to test the system in a Mercedes-Benz SUV. The vehicle accelerates toward a life-size dummy, but the AEB system brings it to a sudden halt feet before impact. Recent improvements have significantly enhanced the effectiveness of these systems.
Morrison adds, “These systems have really infiltrated the new vehicle market.” Nearly all new light-duty vehicles include AEB, which in 2023 alone, included over 94% of new vehicles. Other driver-assistance technologies have also become standard, appearing in over 90% of new cars, trucks, and SUVs, according to the Partnership for Analytics Research in Traffic Safety, a collaboration between the auto industry and federal regulators,
These advancements offer hope in the effort to reduce traffic fatalities, which claim over 40,000 lives annually in the U.S., including more than 7,000 pedestrians.
Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, notes that AEB can “stop the car if someone is distracted, if someone is impaired, if someone is drowsy.” However, she emphasizes that further improvements are needed.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a final rule mandating AEB and setting new federal safety standards, commencing with the 2029 model year. However, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, a trade group representing automakers, is contesting the regulation. They argue that requiring the systems to function at highway speeds of 45 mph and above is excessively demanding.
John Bozzella, president of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, expressed concerns that the new standards could make driving “more erratic when we should be making it more predictable.” The Alliance and several automakers have petitioned NHTSA to reconsider the new AEB standards, yet regulators largely rejected these petitions, which Bozzella called “wrong” and “disastrous.”
Safety advocates support the regulators’ decision, with Chase stating it is, “a safety victory for all road users.” However, the debate may continue as the Alliance for Automotive Innovation plans to ask the incoming Trump administration to reconsider the rule and seek a “collaborative and solutions-oriented approach to roadway safety.”
