Automakers want the Fed to pump the brakes on new emergency braking rules

The Biden administration would like auto manufacturers to equip their vehicles with new and improved emergency braking systems that could reduce accidents and save lives. Car manufacturers prefer not to do this. So a lobby group representing the biggest names in the auto industry is filing a lawsuit to prevent the new rule from taking effect.

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

So what exactly is this rule that is so intrusive that these companies simply cannot comply with it even with a four-year deadline?

Well, last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation It’s finished A new federal motor vehicle safety standard requires all light-duty vehicles including passenger cars, SUVs and pickup trucks to implement automatic emergency braking systems capable of stopping and avoiding contact with other vehicles in front at speeds up to 62 mph. It should also brake automatically “at speeds of up to 90 mph when a collision with a vehicle is imminent, and up to 45 mph when a pedestrian is detected.” The systems must also be able to detect pedestrians in daylight and at night.

Automakers protest When the new rules were proposed and petitions were filed encouraging NHTSA to reconsider under the idea that currently available technology could not meet the standards set by the agency. (The automaker group has already done so Trump asked to roll back the rules, too.) NHTSA was essentially unmoved by this appeal He argues Their goal is to force industry to develop and use that technology to meet new requirements.

However, AEB systems are very effective in reducing accidents. A Study from AAA It found that 2024 models of 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 raising AEB requirements up to 62 mph would save 360 ​​lives per year and prevent more than 24,000 injuries, Virginia Tech Transportation Institute He believes This technology could lead to “significantly higher safety gains” that would help avoid further accidents.

Interestingly, the same lobbying group that thought it simply wouldn’t be able to achieve the technology needed to help vehicles brake automatically at higher speeds has also done the same thing. She pushed for more flexible regulations This would allow more autonomous vehicles to be deployed on roads across the country. Innovation first and safety second, it seems.