WASHINGTON — An upcoming proposed rule from NHTSA on automatic emergency braking, once finalized, could provide a "huge benefit to safety" as the agency seeks to drastically reduce U.S. traffic deaths.
"There's a lot of potential for safety in there," said Steven Cliff, NHTSA's administrator. "Those technologies can avoid crashes altogether or lessen the severity of crashes."
U.S. traffic deaths rose 11 percent in 2021 to nearly 43,000 — the highest count in a single year since 2005, according to preliminary estimates from NHTSA.