US to require automatic braking on new cars

'We're living through a crisis in roadway deaths'

Volkswagen tests automatic emergency braking system
The regulation will save an estimated 362 lives a year
(Image credit: Andreas Arnold / Bloomberg via Getty Images)

What happened

All new passenger vehicles must come equipped with automatic emergency braking by 2029, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday. Some 90% of new vehicles already have AEB systems under a voluntary 2016 agreement but the new final NHTSA rule sets minimum standards, including automatically braking to avoid hitting other vehicles or pedestrians, night or day.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.