NHTSA wants voluntary commitment on new braking rules from automakers – By Eric D. Lawrence (Detroit Free Press) / May 31, 2023
Federal traffic safety regulators have proposed a major rule change for automakers related to braking that they say could save as many as 360 lives every year and reduce the number of injuries in crashes by at least 24,000 annually.
It’s specifically aimed at reducing the perplexingly high number of pedestrian fatalities in recent years, a problem that Ann Carlson, chief counsel for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, called a “really dark spot” in traffic fatalities. A Free Press investigation, “Death on Foot,” also spotlighted the issue.
Carlson noted that pedestrian fatalities have increased 53% in 10 years; NHTSA earlier estimated that almost 43,000 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2021, a 10.5% increase.
