WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced the finalization of a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard aimed at enhancing road safety and reducing accidents. The new standard will mandate automatic emergency braking (AEB), including pedestrian AEB, to be standard on all passenger cars and light trucks by September 2029.
According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, "The new vehicle safety standards we finalized today will save hundreds of lives and prevent tens of thousands of injuries every year." The new safety standard, FMVSS No. 127, is projected to save at least 360 lives a year and prevent at least 24,000 injuries annually by significantly reducing rear-end and pedestrian crashes.
NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman highlighted the importance of automatic emergency braking technology, stating, “Automatic emergency braking is proven to save lives and reduce serious injuries from frontal crashes, and this technology is now mature enough to require it in all new cars and light trucks."
The new standard will require vehicles to have AEB systems that can stop and avoid contact with a vehicle in front of them up to 62 miles per hour and detect pedestrians in both daylight and darkness. The system must apply brakes automatically up to 90 mph when a collision with a lead vehicle is imminent, and up to 45 mph when a pedestrian is detected.
The mandate is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which aims to make significant investments in transportation and enhance road safety. The law ensures that new cars and light trucks are equipped with automatic emergency braking, making roads safer for both drivers and pedestrians.
The final rule applies to nearly all U.S. light vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less. This standard not only fulfills a provision in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law but also aligns with the Department's National Roadway Safety Strategy, which focuses on addressing the national crisis in traffic fatalities and serious injuries through a safe system approach.
In conclusion, the implementation of this new safety standard by NHTSA marks a significant step towards reducing crashes, saving lives, and preventing injuries on the nation's roadways.