NHTSA sets automatic emergency braking requirements for heavy trucks and buses
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced the government will require heavy trucks and buses to include automatic emergency braking equipment within five years. The safety regulator estimated the measure will prevent nearly 20K crashes and save at least 155 lives per year. 
The frequency and severity of rear-end crashes is expected to reduced due to the new requirement, as well as a reduced level of rollovers and accidents involving a loss of driver control.
The actions represent the traffic safety agencyâs latest efforts to regulate electronic systems that take on certain tasks that drivers themselves have normally handled. The proposed rule applies to new trucks and buses weighing at least 10K pounds and is expected to become final next year. Trucks over 26K pounds will be required to install the braking system three years after the rule becomes final, while vehicles weighing between 10K and 26K pounds will have until 2028.
Automatic emergency braking systems use forward-facing cameras and sensor technologies to detect when a crash is imminent. The system automatically will apply brakes if cases the driver has not or apply additional braking force to supplement the driverâs actions. The proposed standard would require the technology to work at speeds ranging from 6 miles per hour to 50 miles per hour.
The American Trucking Associations welcomed the announcement. "The trucking industry supports the use of proven safety technology like automatic emergency braking," said Dan Horvath, the group's vice president of safety policy. 
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