The technology could help reduce fatalities.
Traffic fatalities are one of the most persistent causes of death in the United States, and are on the rise despite technological advances such as warning systems, collision avoidance systems, and increased use of airbags. The number of traffic accident fatalities had been on the decline until about 10 years ago, but then began to rise rapidly. According to the Department of Transportation Safety, there will be 42,795 fatalities in car accidents in 2022. This is slightly down from 2021, but up 31% from 2014.
The driving force behind this increase is the surge in pedestrian fatalities. An estimated 3,500 pedestrians died in the first half of 2022, the most recent period for which data are available. This is a 5% increase from the same period in 2021 and the highest in 40 years.
Victims exceed death toll. According to the Safety Agency, economic losses from car accidents in 2019 totaled $340 billion. That year, 36,500 people were killed in car crashes, 4.5 million were injured, and 23 million vehicles were damaged.
Government officials said the automatic braking proposal could save at least 360 lives and reduce injuries by about 24,000 a year.
Braking systems use radar and cameras to predict accidents.
Automatic emergency braking systems typically use cameras, radar, or both to detect vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and other obstacles. By comparing the speed and direction of a vehicle with the speed and direction of other vehicles and people, these systems can calculate when a collision is likely to be imminent and issue an alarm if the driver fails to do so. It can warn the driver and activate the brakes.
The first such system was introduced in 2011. Five years later, automakers have voluntarily agreed to make automatic emergency braking technology standard on all new cars and trucks by 2022. The agency said the proposed rule would impose higher standards on automatic braking than automakers’ technology. You agree to use it voluntarily.
Automatic braking is one of the components of advanced driver assistance systems found in some new cars on the market today. These systems can steer the vehicle without human intervention and, in some cases, allow the driver to take his hands off the wheel to change lanes even on long highway trips. These include Tesla’s Autopilot system, General Motors’ Super Cruise, and Ford Motor’s Blue Cruise.
The Federal Safety Agency is investigating Tesla’s system, which appears to have failed to identify and locate other vehicles in some circumstances. The agency is investigating 43 accidents, including 14 that killed 18 people, but those accidents occurred while Autopilot or Tesla’s more advanced system, which the company calls fully autonomous, was in operation. Occurred.
It could be years before the regulations come into effect.
The agency plans to solicit comments from automakers, safety advocates and the general public before finalizing the rule, a process that could take a year or more. This regulation will come into force three years after its adoption.
