More Carmakers Agree to Add Automatic Braking Technology

Some 20 carmakers have agreed to install automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems on most U.S. models by September 2022 to help mitigate forward collisions, according to several media reports.

The reports say the agreement will be announced Thursday morning by the U.S. Dept. of Transportation and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Last September, 10 carmakers pledged to install AEB systems without committing to an introduction timeframe.

The new agreement is expected to involve virtually all major carmakers operating in the U.S. Vehicles with special technical challenges, including some models with manual transmissions, will get a longer phase-in period, according to the reports.

Using inputs from cameras, radar and lasers, the technology can detect and alert drivers of an imminent collision. Based on driver response, AEB automatically applies the brakes to slow or stop the vehicle.

Use of such systems can prevent or lessen the severity of as many as 1.9 million crashes per year while lowering injury insurance claims by as much as 35%, according to a recent IIHS study. One in four new vehicles sold in the U.S. last year offered AEB as an option, but the technology was standard on only 1% of 2015-model vehicles, according to the insurance group.