Automaker lobby group fights emergency braking rule

A lobby group representing major automakers across the U.S. has asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to re-evaluate a rule passed earlier this year requiring all vehicles to come equipped with automatic emergency braking systems starting in 2029.

The law: In keeping with a directive issued by Congress in the 2021 infrastructure law, the NHTSA implemented a new requirement in April that would force automakers to adopt automatic emergency braking in all new cars and trucks by 2029. Once in effect, the rule mandates that these systems be capable of averting accidents at speeds up to 62 mph. Brakes must also automatically engage when approaching a vehicle at 90 mph or a pedestrian at 45 mph.

The pushback: The Alliance for Automotive Innovation is a lobby group representing most car manufacturers in the U.S., including Toyota, Ford and General Motors. The group’s complaints, submitted to Congress in a letter, are as follows:

• Averting accidents at speeds up to 62 mph is “practically impossible with available technology.”

• Accommodating such a fast speed would force vehicles to break earlier than drivers may expect, resulting in rear-end collisions.

• The NHTSA “underestimated the necessary and costly hardware and software change required for vehicles to comply.”

• The NHTSA ignored complaints from automakers prior to approving the new requirement.

The Alliance frequently clashes with multiple federal offices, including the Environmental Protection Agency, whose stringent fuel-efficiency proposals continue to be a source of conflict between the two groups.

While the NHTSA has yet to respond to the letter, it has previously stated the new requirement would prevent more than 300 deaths and 24,000 injuries per year.

Current automatic emergency braking systems vary in how they handle fast speeds. While there is no guarantee of safety, some boast protection at up to 55 mph while others are only reliable at 20 mph or less.

Bottom line: The Alliance is certainly no pushover when it comes to getting what it wants. That being said, it’s not clear if anyone in Congress or the NHTSA will be willing to align themselves with an anti-emergency braking perspective, given the questionable optics and the fact that this rule originated from Congress in the first place.

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