Schakowsky, Pallone Applaud NHTSA Final Rule on Automatic Emergency Braking

WASHINGTON - Innovation, Data, and Commerce Subcommittee Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) and Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) released the following statement after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) published a final rule to require automatic emergency braking systems to meet baseline safety standards in all new cars:

"This is not hyperbole-thousands of lives will be saved by NHTSA's action today. In the next few years, all new cars will have automatic emergency braking systems that must meet robust safety standards. This is a requirement we have long championed because it can help detect a potential crash and automatically brake to avoid a collision or lessen the severity of impact. It was a part of our 21st Century Smart Cars Act, which was included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

"Each year, tens of thousands of lives are lost on our roadways-more than 44,000 just last year. The United States is facing an auto safety crisis, one that we have the power to stop in its tracks. Technology like automatic emergency braking systems will go a long way towards improving safety on our roads.

"This victory would not have been possible without the tireless work of advocates, many of whom have come before the Energy and Commerce Committee to share their heartbreaking stories. Drivers, passengers, and pedestrians all deserve to be safe on our nation's roads."

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