Europe Pushes Automatic Braking

New vehicles sold in Europe will probably need an automatic emergency braking system by 2014 to earn a five-star safety rating from EuroNCAP, the region's independent consumer organization, says SAE Vehicle Engineering.

EuroNCAP, which is celebrating its 15th anniversary, says it will be "practically impossible" for cars to receive its top rating without the technology. Such systems typically use a combination of radar and either vision or laser sensors to look for vehicles ahead. They then apply braking automatically if needed to avoid a collision. Low-cost systems work only at city speeds and relatively close range.

The European Commission has estimated the technology could reduce road accidents in the European Union by as much as 27% and save 8,000 lives per year. It describes such systems as the single most significant new technology for reducing road injuries and fatalities.

But EuroNCAP says automatic braking is available in Europe on only 21% of models available, virtually all of them premium brands. It figures two-thirds of Europe's carmakers don't offer automatic braking in any vehicles.

The EC will require automatic braking systems for commercial vehicles beginning in November 2015. SAE Vehicle Engineering says EuroNCAP is studying how to assess the performance of different types of the technology in cars.