Full speed ahead for automated braking

Forty countries, led by Japan and the European Union, have agreed to require new cars and light commercial vehicles be equipped with automated braking systems starting as soon as next year.

The regulation will require all vehicles sold to come equipped with technology that senses how close a pedestrian or object is.

The system can trigger the brakes automatically if a collision is deemed imminent and if the driver doesn’t appear set to respond in time.

The measure will apply to vehicles at “low speeds” — 60 kilometers per hour or less, and only affects new cars sold in the markets of signatory countries. So vehicle owners won’t be required to retrofit their cars and trucks.

The United States, China and India are members of the UN forum that adopted the new regulations. However, they did not take part in the negotiations because they want to ensure that their national regulations keep precedence over UN rules when it comes to the auto industry.

In 2016, 20 automakers reached an agreement with the US government to put automatic emergency braking on all new vehicles by September of 2022, but compliance is voluntary.

In the most recent report on the safety technology from 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that four of the 20 automakers — Tesla, Mercedes-Benz, Toyota and Volvo — had made automatic braking standard on more than half their models.

Data from the insurance industry’s Highway Loss Data Institute show that 28 percent of 2019 US models have standard automatic emergency braking.

Another 36 percent have it as an option.

Jason Levine, executive director of the non-profit Center for Auto Safety, said lack of US participation in the UN group is embarrassing for a country that once led in auto safety.

“It is yet another indication of the auto industry in the United States and the Trump administration’s complete lack of leadership when it comes to the safety of everyone on the road,” Levine said.

The requirement will start taking effect next year first in Japan, where 4 million cars and light commercial vehicles were sold in 2018, said Jean Rodriguez, a spokesman for the agency, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, or UNECE. The EU, and some of its closest neighbors, is expected to follow suit in 2022.

UNECE says the countries that agreed to the deal want to be more proactive in fighting road accidents, particularly in urban settings where obstacles such as pedestrians, scooters and bicycles abound.

The agency pointed to more than 9,500 roadway deaths in the EU in 2016. The European Commission estimates that the braking systems could help save over 1,000 lives a year in the bloc.

Apparently wary that the regulations might be seen as a step toward giving artificial intelligence precedence over humans, the drafters put in clear language in their resolution.

A driver can take control and override these automated braking systems at any time, such as through “a steering action or an accelerator kick-down.”