NHTSA and Big Automakers Come to a Voluntary Agreement on Automated Braking Systems as Standard Equipment by 2022
At Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, we help Delaware residents and visitors who have been hurt in auto accidents. To make an appointment with a car crash lawyer in Newark, Seaford or Wilmington, please contact our office.
A group of the major automakers have come to a voluntary agreement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to install automatic braking systems in nearly all U.S. vehicles by September 2022. A tentative agreement had been reached in September 2015 with 10 automakers, with the final agreement that included additional automakers was announced at a press conference in McLean, Virginia on March 17, 2016. The agreement includes the makers of 99 percent of light vehicles in the U.S. including Toyota, General Motors, Ford, Fiat, Chrysler, Honda, BMW, Mercedes Benz, Tesla, Volvo and Volkswagen according to NBCNews.com.
Automatic braking systems use a combination of cameras, radar and lasers to detect an obstacle in the vehicle’s path and applies the vehicle’s brakes if the driver does not respond in time. Currently, the technology is already available on new cars, but it must be purchased as an option, which can make the vehicle’s sticker price even higher. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) reports that just one percent of 2015 model year vehicles offered automatic braking as a standard feature, while there were 26 other models that offered the technology as an add-on option. The IIHS says that automatic braking technology has the potential to reduce insurance claims by 35 percent.
Safety advocates from the Center for Auto Safety are not pleased with the voluntary agreement, which they would rather be a mandatory agreement. A voluntary agreement is not enforceable, and they allow weaker standards for the automatic braking systems and longer timelines than if the government had made them mandatory, according to the Associated Press.
What causes most rear end collisions?
Driver error is the cause of the majority of motor vehicle crashes. Factors such as drowsy or distracted driving, when the driver’s attention is not focused on driving, can cause them to collide with the car in front of them because they did not notice when the vehicle came to a complete stop or slowed down to make a turn.
The NHTSA reports that 28 percent of motor vehicle crashes are rear-end crashes. Approximately 1,705 Americans were killed and 547,000 injured in rear-end crashes in the U.S. in 2012. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) estimates that about 87 percent of those crashes could be avoided or mitigated by automatic braking systems that warn drivers of a possible crash.
For more information about the legal services we offer at Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, you may call us or fill out our contact form to make an appointment for a free consultation today. We have offices in Wilmington, Newark or Seaford to serve you throughout Delaware.
Attorney Jeffrey S. Friedman joined Silverman, McDonald & Friedman in 2001. He graduated from Widener University School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and in several Federal Circuit courts. He areas of concentration include auto accident and workers’ compensation cases. Read more about Attorney Friedman here.