Automakers Want Feds to Pump the Brakes on New Emergency Braking Rules

The Biden administration wants automakers to equip their vehicles with new and improved emergency braking systems that could reduce accidents and save lives. Carmakers would rather not. So a lobbying group representing some of the biggest names in automotive is suing to stop the new rules from taking effect.

The Alliance of Automotive Innovation—which represents automakers including Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, Toyota and Volkswagen—Filed a case With the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit attempting to overturn new braking rules passed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) before they take effect in 2029.

So what exactly is this rule that is so intrusive that these companies simply cannot abide by the four-year lead time?

Well, last year, the US Department of Transportation final A new federal motor vehicle safety standard will require all light-duty vehicles, including passenger vehicles, SUVs and pickups, to implement automatic emergency braking systems capable of stopping at speeds up to 62 miles per hour with other vehicles in front of them and avoiding contact with them. It should automatically brake “up to 90 mph when a collision with a lead vehicle is imminent and up to 45 mph when a pedestrian is detected”. The systems must be able to detect pedestrians in daylight and at night.

Automakers protested When new rules were proposed and petitions were filed to encourage NHTSA to reconsider under the assumption that currently available technology could not meet the standards set by the agency. (Groups of automakers already exist asked Trump to roll back the rules as well.) NHTSA was largely unmoved by that petition to argue That their goal is to force industry to evolve and use that technology to meet new requirements.

For what it’s worth, AEB systems are quite effective in reducing accidents. A Study from AAA found that 2024 model vehicles equipped with the current version of the safety feature were able to avoid 100% of frontal collisions when tested at speeds up to 35 mph. NHTSA’s own data suggests that bumping AEB requirements to 62 mph would save 360 ​​lives and prevent more than 24,000 injuries each year, and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute believes The technology could lead to “higher safety gains” that would help avoid more accidents.

Interestingly, the same lobbying group believes it will not be able to acquire the technology needed to help vehicles brake automatically at high speeds. Pushed for looser regulations This will allow more autonomous vehicles to be put on roads across the country. Innovation first and safety second, apparently.