Autonomous cars may have been all the rage at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, but most of the tech showcased is still pretty far off. What isn't, however, are smarter stopping systems. In fact, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
is adding crash imminent braking and dynamic braking support to its
list of recommended advanced safety features for new cars. The former
uses sensors to activate the brakes if a crash is imminent and the
driver already hasn't. Dynamic braking support, on the other hand,
increases stopping power if you haven't put enough pressure on the brake
pedal. Like lane-departure and front collision warning systems, these
features are available on some models already -- this move gives them
high-profile attention, though.
And for good reason: As the NHSTA tells it, a third of 2013's
police-reported car accidents were the rear-end crashes and a "large
number" of the drivers either didn't apply the brakes at all (what?!) or fully before impact. Like The Los Angeles Times and Ars Technica
note, this is far from becoming a mandate but that isn't out of the
realm of possibilities. For example, backup cameras'll be required
equipment on every vehicle come 2018.
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