Auto-Braking required in 2029

[eljefino]

Reuters

WASHINGTON, April 29 (Reuters) - Nearly all new passenger cars and trucks sold in the United States will be required to have automatic emergency braking systems by September 2029, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said on Monday, saying that the rule will save at least 360 lives annually and prevent at least 24,000 injuries.
The new rule comes as traffic deaths have spiked following the COVID-19 lockdowns.

The NHTSA in 2023 had proposed requiring nearly all vehicles to comply three years after publication, but automakers are now being given five years.
The NHTSA is requiring all cars and trucks be able to stop and avoid striking vehicles in front of them up to 62 miles per hour. The rule requires the system to apply brakes automatically up to 90 mph when collision with a lead vehicle is imminent, and up to 45 mph when a pedestrian is detected.

Makes me wonder how they'll implement this with stick shifts. (shh!)

 

[joekingcorvette]

I like the idea especially on interstate driving.

 

[KGMtech]

Far better idea and ruling than auto driving.

 

[JavierH19]

Insurance companies are gonna be happy. Vehicle msrp goes up and the crashes go down so they'll be paying less and we know they'll keep those higher rates to line their pockets.

 

[TheOilWizard]

Insurance companies are gonna be happy. Vehicle msrp goes up and the crashes go down so they'll be paying less and we know they'll keep those higher rates to line their pockets.

Higher MSRP also means higher risk for the insurance company when a vehicle is inevitably totaled or needs to be repaired. I don't normally defend insurance companies, but I also don't understand how that would benefit them in any way.

 

[andrew_j]

I like the feature. It came standard on wife’s 2018 Tiguan SE(1 above base)

 

[drtyler]

Auto-braking is great until one of the sensors mounted in bumper cover gets loose, and the car auto-brakes into an unexpected panic stop. Then because the sensor is loose by having fallen back inside the bumper a bit, the car won’t go as it is sensing an object closeby.

Had to talk a neighbor through disabling this feature so they could get home one morning.

 

[TheOilWizard]

Auto-braking is great until one of the sensors mounted in bumper cover gets loose, and the car auto-brakes into an unexpected panic stop. Then because the sensor is loose by having fallen back inside the bumper a bit, the car won’t go as it is sensing an object closeby.

Had to talk a neighbor through disabling this feature so they could get home one morning.

I didn't want to open this can of worms, but since you started the conversation.. I had a coworker (to which I highly trust) that claimed his sensor malfunctioned and caused an automatic brake in the middle of an intersection, and the car behind him slammed into his Honda minivan. Normally I would be very skeptical of such reports, but being someone I trust, it really raised concern in my mind.

 

[Exhaustgases]

The constant fixing of problems that don't exist on cars themselves. Its goofy how its always the fault of the machine, and never the nut that is using it. Auto braking? Just like unintended acceleration, all is good till something goes wrong with it. I'd hate to be on a high overpass or bridge, going 60 or more in heavy rain, then have all the brakes lock up, especially with an 80,000 pound semi plowing into the rear of my car. In all my life of using machinery of all sorts, the most dangerous things I have run into is a safety device or feature.

 

[bdcardinal]

I didn't want to open this can of worms, but since you started the conversation.. I had a coworker (to which I highly trust) that claimed his sensor malfunctioned and caused an automatic brake in the middle of an intersection, and the car behind him slammed into his Honda minivan. Normally I would be very skeptical of such reports, but being someone I trust, it really raised concern in my mind.

We see lots of shops rig the fix on these as to not have the vehicle become a total, some are over $1500 for the front radar unit. If the bracket is deranged it will read wrong. Same with the rear sensors. If one is replaced and it isn't the same supercession level on a Mazda it can cause issues.

I like the idea, but I want to be able to turn it off.

 

[Leo99]

The constant fixing of problems that don't exist on cars themselves. Its goofy how its always the fault of the machine, and never the nut that is using it. Auto braking? Just like unintended acceleration, all is good till something goes wrong with it. I'd hate to be on a high overpass or bridge, going 60 or more in heavy rain, then have all the brakes lock up, especially with an 80,000 pound semi plowing into the rear of my car. In all my life of using machinery of all sorts, the most dangerous things I have run into is a safety device or feature.

You'd also hate to have that vehicle behind you not paying attention and slam into the back you after you've stopped for traffic or an emergency on the road. So, then we risk analyze. What is more likely: The driver isn't paying attention and crashes into you or the safety feature malfunctions on your car and the driver crashes into you.

 

[TheOilWizard]

You'd also hate to have that vehicle behind you not paying attention and slam into the back you after you've stopped for traffic or an emergency on the road. So, then we risk analyze. What is more likely: The driver isn't paying attention and crashes into you or the safety feature malfunctions on your car and the driver crashes into you.

Human error is almost certainly the greater threat. Want to see your life flash before your eyes? Watch the cars racing up behind you at a red light and braking at the last possible second as they send that last text message.

That said, it doesn't diminish the concern that technology can create accidents that could otherwise be avoided by a human driver under certain conditions.

 

[gman2304]

The company I retired from in 2017 had started specing their class 8 trucks with automatic transmissions and automatic braking. Talk about the ‘pucker’ factor!

 

[atikovi]

I'd hate to be on a high overpass or bridge, going 60 or more in heavy rain, then have all the brakes lock up, especially with an 80,000 pound semi plowing into the rear of my car.

That is a rare accordance. More likely someone on the phone behind you typing a text when you step on the brakes to avoid something, and automatic braking prevents that guy from parking in your back seat.

 

[JavierH19]

Higher MSRP also means higher risk for the insurance company when a vehicle is inevitably totaled or needs to be repaired. I don't normally defend insurance companies, but I also don't understand how that would benefit them in any way.

They charge more off of that alone which benefits them as anyone who knows insurance knows that whatever they account to spend more on typically ends up yielding more profit as they price that in and then some.

 

[TheOilWizard]

They charge more off of that alone which benefits them as anyone who knows insurance knows that whatever they account to spend more on typically ends up yielding more profit as they price that in and then some.

I'm open to be convinced, but I remain skeptical of this claim. Reminds me of the mindset, "auto insurance raised premiums 50%, so the insurance companies are keeping all the extra money!" The idea that their costs actually increased 50% is completely dismissed without consideration. Insurance companies are routinely vilified (and right fully so, in some circumstances) but it needs to be within reason and based on facts at the same time.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

How long until you driving wherever you please, whenever you please is the emergency?

 

[daves87rs]

Bad idea…..already seen a few failures of this. Plus, it does nothing for the older cars to plow into you……

 

[Jetronic]

I bet you'll find it won't make a difference in safety. But it will make front end damage more expensive to repair.

Have a look at the ncap or ancap tests of these systems, now imagine a car that is on old tyres, on wet roads, with old shocks and old brake systems.... and people relying on this to do their work.

 

[benjamming]

I bet you'll find it won't make a difference in safety. But it will make front end damage more expensive to repair.

Have a look at the ncap or ancap tests of these systems, now imagine a car that is on old tyres, on wet roads, with old shocks and old brake systems.... and people relying on this to do their work.

The nanny safety systems produce reliance upon them. That's a real problem. No one has the absolute numbers to know the difference in cost vs. reward vs. unintended negative consequences as there are too many assumptions to make any number actually reliable such as the NHTSA's value of saving 360 lives/year.

When are they going to mandate roll cages be installed? How many deaths would that prevent? Or better safety restraints? Or...