Outgoing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration head David Strickland says that in a matter of days he will announce the agency's plans on regulations concerning vehicle-to-vehicle communications and advanced, autonomous emergency braking systems. Strickland declined to say if the agency will require automatic braking or vehicle telematics. It may just add automatic braking to advanced features under consideration in NHTSA's New Car Assessment program.
Automatic braking systems use sensors to detect an impending crash with a vehicle or pedestrian in front of the car and either alert the driver to hit the brakes or automatically apply the brakes on their own. Last May Strickland said a decision would be forthcoming by the end of this year whether or not to require future car and trucks to have automatic brakes.
Another technology being considered is vehicle to vehicle communications, which would also be used to avoid collisions. The technology would likely be integrated with "smart streets" to reduce accidents and traffic congestion. A recent year-long test of such smart-car technology was concluded involving 3,000 vehicles operating in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
"NHTSA believes it has the capabilities — and the responsibilities — to estimate the effectiveness of these crash-avoidance systems, without waiting for years or crash data, in order to make regulatory decisions and save more lives," Strickland told lawmakers on Capital Hill in May.
The National Transportation Safety Board wants NHTSA to require advanced safety systems on every new car, including forward-collision and lane-departure warning systems, adaptive cruise control and automatic braking. Automakers are happy to offer the features as options but say mandating the new technologies would add thousands of dollars to the cost of every new car or truck.
from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com
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