AEB Final Rule: Prevents Wrecks and Saves Lives

Automatic Emergency Braking Systems Could Prevent Countless Crashes. Here’s How. 

Automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems will no longer be add-on or “luxury” features for new vehicles when September 2029 rolls around. That’s because federal regulators have recently issued a new final rule, mandating that all passenger vehicles, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), and light trucks manufactured in 2029 be equipped with AEB systems as a standard. 

That includes pedestrian AEB systems (PAEBs) while slightly extending the deadline for smaller manufacturers. 

Effectively, the new rule means that inside of six years, several types of wrecks — as well as traffic deaths and injury rates — could drop drastically. Find out how and why many are optimistic about the implementation of this new rule by looking at:

• How AEB Systems Work
• Details About the New Final Rule for AEB Systems
• How Regulators Expect the New AEB Rule to Prevent Wrecks
• What’s Next?

To see the official announcement of this new AEB Rule, click here.

How AEB Systems Work

First introduced around 2009, automatic braking systems leverage video, sensors, and possibly even GPS systems to: 

1. Detect nearby crash risks, particularly hazards in front of vehicles traveling forward or behind vehicles going in reverse
2. Activate the brakes whenever items are detected in the vehicle’s path
3. Sound warnings to alert motorists to the risk of an accident
4. Reduce the intensity of wrecks by slowing vehicles down before any impact
5. Prevent more motor vehicle accidents whenever possible 

While some AEB systems may reportedly misidentify standard road features as potential hazards, state-of-the-art systems are better than ever at minimizing false detections.

Details About the New Final Rule for AEB Systems

On April 29, 2024, officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the new final rule for automatic emergency braking systems. Officially known as Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 127 (Final Rule), this Final Rule requires nearly all vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less (and made in 2029 or after) to be manufactured and sold with AEB systems. 

Notably, these mandated automatic emergency braking systems must be:

• Powerful enough to stop a vehicle going as fast as 62 miles per hour (mph) while still effectively avoiding a collision at higher speeds
• Capable of distinguishing pedestrians during the day, in low visibility conditions, and whenever it’s dark out
• Configured to automatically activate the brakes at speeds up to 90 mph when a vehicle is about to crash into anything ahead of it
• Ready to apply the brakes at speeds up to 45 mph when a pedestrian is detected in the vehicle’s path

As part of a greater effort to bring traffic deaths to zero, this new Final Rule is taking AEB systems the way of seatbelts and airbags to standardize these safety features in most passenger vehicles. 

How Regulators Expect the New AEB Rule to Prevent Wrecks

Officials hope that, by having all newly manufactured vehicles equipped with AEB systems as of 2029, they can make strides in: 

• Saving lives: Regulators estimate that a minimum of 360 people will be saved every year because of the new rule for AEB systems. That is largely expected to come from a reduction in pedestrian wrecks, which are often fatal, particularly when children, elderly, or otherwise vulnerable parties are involved.
• Preventing injuries: On top of the lives saved, officials also anticipate that tens of thousands of injuries won’t happen with the automatic emergency brake requirement in place, pegging the number at roughly 24,000 injuries prevented by the new Final Rule. While these benefits may arise because fewer pedestrian accidents occur in 2029 and after, they could also stem from a reduction in rear-end collisions, head-on collisions, and even T-bone crashes.
• Making the roads safer for all travelers: With major potential to greatly reduce various types of wrecks, officials are optimistic that the new Final Rule will provide more of a “failsafe,” serving as another key piece of safety technology while possibly offseting persisting issues, like driver distraction and speeding.

Commenting on the new Final Rule and why officials are rallying behind it, NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman has explained that: 

Automatic emergency braking is proven to save lives and reduce serious injuries from frontal crashes, and this technology is now mature enough to require it in all new cars and light trucks. In fact, this technology is now so advanced that we’re requiring these systems to be even more effective at higher speeds and to detect pedestrians… Most new vehicles already come with AEB, and we expect that many cars and light trucks will be able to meet this standard ahead of the deadline, meaning even more lives will be saved thanks to this technology.

What’s Next?

Regulators are currently in the process of finalizing a similar rule for heavy vehicles and trucks, looking to make the AEB system requirement a standard across the board. As promising as these advancements may be for the future of roadway safety, they can not do much for you or someone you love if you’re hurt in an auto accident in Texas today, tomorrow, or even after 2029. What can help in those situations, however, is an experienced car accident lawyer.

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