Heavy Trucks Needed to Install Safety Tech

Heavy Vehicles >10k Pounds Required Safety Feature

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is attempting to enforce a policy that requires the inclusion of automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems on passenger cars distributed in America. The body is now aiming to roll out this demand also to bigger vehicles with a mass over 10,000 pounds.

The NHTSA is proposing to incorporate semi-trucks, buses, large vans and business vehicles in its regulatory plan. Full-sized pick-ups like the Ford F-350 should not have any issues observing these regulations as major car brands such as Ford, GMC, Ram and Toyota already provide Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) technology on their substantial trucks.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has determined that Advanced Emergency Braking (AEB) systems in conjunction with Electric Stability Control (ESC) have substantial efficiency when it comes to averting severe vehicle collisions. Should the mandate for AEB on large vehicles be permitted, this could make it possible to steer clear of approximately 19,111 accidents annually, rescue 155 people, as well as decrease the number of non-consequential injuries by 8,814.

This judgement could eliminate in the region of 24,828 incidents involving heavy vehicles where only property damage was caused per annum. There were not exact fatality counts found in the survey with regards to accidents including hefty vehicles. However, as indicated by the US Federal Government 38,824 people died from motor vehicle-related circumstances in 2020; while forty two thousand nine hundred and fifteen fatalities were reported in 2021. Consequently, making Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) mandatory has the potential to slow down the persisting growth in transportation related deaths.

Despite the optimistic outlook of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) towards Automated Emergency Braking systems (AEBs), they are unfortunately not the one-stop solution to all rear-end collisions. This is notably the case for multi-vehicle crashes, where a larger automobile may send one ahead like a cue ball on a pool table, or on wet surfaces where motorcycles may go undetected by the technologies. But what AEBs cannot do at all is counter the leading cause of severe auto incidents in the United States: Drug or alcohol use.

If approved, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed regulation will be adopted for both commercial and private automobiles three years subsequent to the pronouncement of its conclusive decision. Minor manufactures and repairers will then receive an additional year. Though, the agency did not specify when exactly their last dictate ordering automated emergency brakes for large vehicles will be enforced.