Ten different automakers have agreed to make automatic emergency braking (AEB) standard in their vehicles.
Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo have announced that they will work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to bring standard AEB to all of their vehicles.
AEB is designed to prevent or lessen the affects of a rear-end crash in which the driver does not apply the brakes or fails to apply sufficient braking pressure. When the AEB sensors detect an imminent crash, the vehicle will first warn the driver and then automatically apply the brakes.
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“The evidence is mounting that AEB is making a difference,” said IIHS President Adrian Lund. “Most crashes involve driver error. This technology can compensate for the mistakes every driver makes because the systems are always on alert, monitoring the road ahead and never getting tired or distracted.”
According to the IIHS, AEB can reduce injury claims by as much as 35 percent.
NHTSA will now set the specific performance criteria the manufacturers need to meet in order to comply with the agreement. After those rules are established, a timeline for when we can expect the technology to show up will be announced.
