US to add features like blind spot warnings and pedestrian detection to vehicle crash ratings | News, Sports, Jobs

DETROIT — The U.S. government’s auto safety ratings will get a major update with the 2026 model year, when regulators will add new driver-assistance technologies and tests to protect pedestrians.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday it has finalized changes required by Congress as part of the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure bill.

In addition to five-star ratings for crash tests, the agency will add four new technologies, including pedestrian automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assist, blind spot warning and intervention if the driver attempts to move towards a vehicle in the blind spot.

The new rule also strengthens testing procedures and performance standards for technologies already included in the ratings, such as automatic emergency braking.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who includes NHTSA, said previous ratings, enacted in 1978, helped push the industry to higher safety standards.

New requirements make sure “Evaluating these cars includes not only the safety of people inside the vehicle during a crash, but also how a vehicle’s design can prevent a crash or make a crash less fatal for someone outside the vehicle.” Buttigieg said in an interview with the Associated Press.

The institution said that the five-star crash test scores that most vehicles now receive will not change under the new system. But Buttigieg said consumers will also see green check marks on NHTSA’s website if the vehicles they purchase have safety features and can be assured that those features meet standards set by the government.

Initially, features will receive a pass or fail grade, but will later receive scores so buyers can compare vehicles, he said.

The standards, which will begin to emerge next August, should motivate automakers to accelerate the deployment of features, he said. Automakers already use crash test ratings to compete for customers, and Buttigieg expects that to happen with new features as well.

Safety devices can be standard equipment or optional, the agency said.

“We hope that this will move the market in that direction, that consumers will have another reason to be aware that these features are available, and then ask whether the car they are considering buying has them.” he said.

The new standards will also strengthen testing procedures for safety features that are already included, such as automatic emergency braking, the agency said. Automatic emergency braking will need to meet stringent requirements and be standard equipment on all passenger cars by 2029.

The agency will also set design standards to reduce injuries to pedestrians, in line with most regulations currently in force in Europe. The standards will set a minimum threshold for impact points and injuries to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle at 25 miles per hour (40 kilometers per hour).

The Automotive Innovation Alliance, a major industry trade group, said updated standards are needed. However, in order for standards to accelerate industry investments, “More predictable and updated frequently” the association said.

Buttigieg said this is the first of several regulations his department wants to enact before President Joe Biden’s term ends. He did not say what other regulations might come into force.

“We are full steam ahead on setting a set of rules.” he said. “We continued this pace regardless of our expectations in the elections. So you can expect us to continue to move forward quickly, especially on rules that we know will make a big difference, that we think will be well received by the public, and that we’ve already worked hard on. .”

Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, said the U.S. is still trying to catch up with other countries on vehicle standards. He called on the Transportation Department to approve automatic emergency braking for heavy trucks, technology to prevent impaired driving, front passenger and rear seat belt reminders and other pending safety technologies.

The institution stated that the standards, which were last updated in 2008 for 2011 models, provided significant reductions in accidents, deaths and injuries. The number of people who died in vehicle traffic accidents decreased from 32,043 in 2001 to 26,325 in 2021. However, the agency said pedestrian deaths increased by 51% to 7,388 during the same period, so improvements were needed.

According to NHTSA estimates, nearly 41,000 people died in traffic crashes nationwide last year; this is a 3.6% decrease from 2022. Deaths have decreased for nine consecutive quarters.

But in 2021, deaths increased by 10.5% compared to 2020 as people began driving more as the COVID-19 pandemic began to ease. This was the highest figure since 2005 and the largest percentage increase since 1975.