Automatic Braking as Standard

On May 31st, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that they were proposing a new rule that will make Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) standard in new vehicles.

Automatic Braking systems are fairly common in newer vehicles - and have been standard in Tesla vehicles like the Model 3 and Model Y for some time. AEB systems use sensors to detect pedestrians and apply the brakes automatically if the driver is too slow.

These systems don’t rely on algorithms as complex as Tesla’s Full Self Driving software, and can be added to a vehicle whether it’s electric or not. If the rule is passed, the NHTSA will give automakers three years to prepare to add this feature to their entire US stock of vehicles.

The proposed rule would require all cars to be able to come to a full stop and prevent contact with a vehicle in front of them at speeds up to 62 miles per hour. This is a good start, and US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg believes that this proposal will save about 360 lives and stop over 24,000 injuries each year.

This is definitely one of those rules that is added because a system gets repeated, obvious results in action on our roads. Tesla definitely isn’t the first company to use AEB systems, but they have a very strict standard for their vehicles. A recent update raised the activation speed of Tesla cars to 124 mph, so they’re not in danger of losing their crown for stellar safety ratings once everyone’s vehicles get their own AEB systems.

The bottom line is that this is a solid win for everyone. Automatic braking systems are an obvious good that makes up for human reactions - which can vary wildly. Sure it will be another expense that some automakers might be upset to take on, but that’s been the same story behind every major safety improvement in vehicles.

It’s also another instance of industry leaders like Tesla forcing change for the greater good.