Contact: Shane Austin
saustin@saferoads.org
202.425.2776
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement by Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Response to Petitions for Reconsideration of Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) Rule for Light Vehicles
(Washington, D.C. | November 25, 2024) Today, NHTSA released their formal response to several Petitions for Reconsideration of the Final Rule requiring AEB on all new light vehicles by 2029. While making technical tweaks to the rule, it is a safety victory for all road users that most parts of the Petitions were denied.
According to NHTSA, requiring AEB on light vehicles will save hundreds of lives and prevent thousands of injuries annually at a time when the carnage and expense borne from crashes on our roadways are at historic highs. On average, 116 people were killed every day on roads in the U.S. in 2022, totaling just over 42,500 fatalities. This represents a 29 percent increase in deaths in just a decade. An additional 2.38 million people were injured. Early projections for 2023 and in certain subcategories for the first half of 2024 (released by NHTSA today) while slightly lower, remain catastrophic.
In keeping the integrity of the Rule intact, NHTSA has safeguarded the most impactful regulation for roadway safety issued in years. Still, the agency must move quickly to finalize other safety standards as required in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, Pub. L. 117-58), including AEB for heavy vehicles. NHTSA has done its job by putting safety first, and needless pain and suffering caused by preventable motor vehicle crashes will be averted because of this action.
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About Advocates
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, medical, public health, law enforcement and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America’s roads safer. Advocates’ mission is the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs that prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs.