NHTSA 5-star ratings would include crash-avoidance tech under bills

WASHINGTON -- Crash-avoidance technologies would be included in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s five-star vehicle safety ratings if a bipartisan measure becomes law.

The federal Safety Through Informed Consumers Act would instruct NHTSA to include technologies such as automatic emergency braking, collision warnings and others in its safety ratings that are included on vehicle window stickers. NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program currently rates a vehicle’s crashworthiness, based on front and side crash tests, as well as rollover protection.

Identical bills for the measure were introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate with bipartisan backing this week. The House bill is co-sponsored by Reps. Todd Rokita, R-Ind., and Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., while the Senate version is backed by Sens. Dean Heller, R-Nev., and Ed Markey, D-Mass.

“Today’s 5-star safety rating system only tells them how safe they are in the vehicle once a crash occurs, ignoring any features like collision warning and automatic emergency braking, that can help avoid that crash in the first place,” Markey said in a statement. “With new safety technology standard in many cars, we need a 21st century 5-star safety rating system that tells consumers how safe their vehicles really are.”

In January, NHTSA added automatic braking to its list of “recommended” technologies that it publishes alongside its five-star crashworthiness scores, joining forward collision warning, lane-departure warning and rearview camera systems. The list is printed on window stickers and tells consumers whether a vehicle has the technologies, but those features do not factor into a vehicle’s overall star rating.

“The Safety Through Informed Consumers Act ensures that the latest safety technologies are integrated into the 5-star rating system, arming new car buyers with potentially life-saving information,” Rokita said in a statement. “This is a common-sense, bipartisan bill that promotes innovation, empowers consumers, and protects lives.”