First antilock brakes, then traction and electronic stability control, and now automatic braking? The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) is reportedly considering a push to make automatic braking, as seen on vehicles such as the Volvo S60, a mandatory feature for all new cars.
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The news comes from NHTSA administrator David Strickland, who made the statement during a congressional hearing on crash-prevention and automotive safety,Automotive Newsreports. Currently automatic braking is an optional extra on vehicles including the Volvo S60 and XC60, Infiniti JX, and 2014 Subaru Forester. The system works by using radar and/or cameras to determine whether the vehicle is going to collide with an oncoming vehicle or object, and then slows the car to minimize the impact of an accident or avoid one altogether.
Aside from improving safety, the systems have the added benefit of reducing insurance claims, which might be just as much a reason to consider automatic braking as passenger safety. Last year, the NHTSA released a report suggesting that modern design improvements saved more than one million injuries in 2008 alone, and automatic braking could help continue that trend. For example, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently reported insurance claims for Volvo S60s equipped with City Safety, Volvo's active safety suite, are being filed about 16 percent less than other vehicles in its class. Though the systems have potential, making them mandatory could push the base prices of certain non-luxury-branded cars out of reach for some consumers.
Strickland told reporters after the congressional hearing that the NHTSA could end up making its decision on automatic braking by the end of the year. In other NHTSA news, the administration has just confirmed David Friedman, an engineer and fuel economy advocate, as its new deputy administrator.
Should the NHTSA make automatic braking mandatory on all new cars? Why or why not? Sound off below.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)
I generally like writing—especially when it’s about cars—but I hate writing about myself. So instead of blathering on about where I was born (New York City, in case you were wondering) or what type of cars I like (all of ’em, as long as it has a certain sense of soul or purpose), I’ll answer the one question I probably get most, right after what’s your favorite car (see above): How’d you get that job? Luck. Well, mostly. Hard work, too. Lots of it. I sort of fell into my major of journalism/mass communication at St. Bonaventure University and generally liked it a lot. In order to complete my degree senior year, we had to spend our last two semesters on some sort of project. Seeing as I loved cars and already spent a good portion of my time reading about cars on sites such as Motor Trend, I opted to create a car blog. I started a Tumblr, came up with a car-related name (The Stig’s American Cousin), signed up for media access on a bunch of manufacturer’s websites, and started writing. I did everything from cover new trim levels to reviewing my friends’ cars. I even wrote a really bad April Fool’s Day post about the next Subaru Impreza WRX being Toyota-Corolla-based. It was fun, and because it was fun, it never felt like work. Sometime after my blog had gotten off the ground, I noticed that Motor Trend was hiring for what’s now our Daily News Team. I sent in my résumé and a link to my blog. I got the job, and two weeks after graduation I made the move from New York to California. I’ve been happily plugging away at a keyboard—and driving some seriously awesome hardware—ever since.
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