THE AMERICANS IMPOSE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

By Éric Descarries

U.S. auto safety regulators have announced that automatic emergency braking systems will be mandatory on all cars and light trucks from 2029.

According to regulations finalized by the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) at the end of April, all new vehicles will have to be equipped with such a system, which should stop the vehicle and avoid a collision with another vehicle at speeds of up to 100 km/h. These systems will have to apply the brakes at speeds of up to 145 km/h when a collision with another vehicle is imminent, and up to 73 km/h when a pedestrian is detected, both day and night. With these measures, NHTSA aims to eliminate some 24,000 injuries and 360 deaths per year caused by motor vehicles.