Federal Regulations Require Rollout Of Improved Automatic Braking Systems In Cars
If today’s cars are so smart that they know when to apply the brakes, then why are there still so many car accidents? Certainly, it can’t be the folks in the old clunkers causing all of the collisions. Automatic braking systems (ABS) have been standard features on new cars for a few years, so wherever you drive, there is a good chance that most of the cars closest to you on the road will know when to brake even if the driver is too distracted to notice you. Today’s automatic brakes are so sophisticated that, 20 years ago, they would have seemed like science fiction, but they work better in some conditions than others. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued new regulations requiring a higher standard for ABS in cars of model years 2029 and later. If you have been injured in a car accident that could have been prevented if the at fault driver’s car had better ABS, contact a Columbia car accident lawyer.
How Safe Are Today’s Automatic Braking Systems?
Today’s cars have dozens of sensors and cameras on all sides of the car that contribute to the automatic braking system. Your ABS may have spared you from a costly collision when you were backing out of a parking space or a busy parking lot or garage. Maybe it kicked in when you were getting drowsy on a road trip and started to veer out of your lane or when you were too frustrated with the stop and go rush hour traffic on a city street to notice that the cars in front of you were still stopped even though the traffic light was green. The ABS that come standard in cars today are effective at preventing routine car accidents; therefore, they save the driving public many millions of dollars per year in vehicle repairs, car insurance, and medical bills.
The most dangerous driving behaviors, however, are beyond the capabilities of the current generation of ABS. The brakes do not kick in at high speeds, and they are more effective in daylight and at night. Rain and snow also present challenges for them.
The new regulations apply to ABS offered as a standard feature in passenger cars and light trucks less than 10,000 pounds beginning in the model year 2029. The new brakes must be effective at speeds up to 62 miles per hour, which is the highest speed you can expect to encounter in city traffic and considerably higher than the speed at which today’s ABS work reliably. The new brakes will also be required to work better in low light than today’s automatic brakes work.
Let Us Help You Today
The premises liability lawyers at the Stanley Law Group can help you if you have suffered a serious injury because of a preventable accident involving a driver’s failure to brake in time. Contact The Stanley Law Group in Columbia, South Carolina or call (803)799-4700 for a free initial consultation.
Source:
cars.com/articles/automatic-emergency-braking-to-be-mandated-on-all-new-vehicles-by-2029-482043/#:~:text=Automatic%20Emergency%20Braking%20to%20Be%20Mandated%20on%20All%20New%20Vehicles%20by%202029,-Honda%20Collision%20Mitigation&text=The%20National%20Highway%20Traffic%20Safety,standard%20equipment%20by%20September%202029.
