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NHTSA to Decide by Year-End on Automatic Braking Rule
A decision about whether to mandate automatic braking systems for light-duty vehicles is likely from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by the end of 2013, The Detroit News reports.
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A decision about whether to mandate automatic braking systems for light-duty vehicles is likely from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by the end of 2013, The Detroit News reports.
Automatic braking systems sense an impending impact with the vehicle ahead. They can mitigate a crash by intensifying braking force or applying the brakes if the driver fails to do so.
NHTSA Administrator David Strickland tells the News that the agency might move directly into rulemaking or opt to conduct further research.
The newspaper says carmakers agree that automatic braking is a good idea. But it says the companies don't want the systems made mandatory, which they claim could boost vehicle prices by $1,000-$3,500.
The News notes that NHTSA could simply recommend automatic braking and let manufacturers adopt the technology voluntarily. It says formal rulemaking would be unlikely to require such systems for at least four years.
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