By SEMA Washington, D.C., Staff
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) intends to add two automatic emergency braking systems to its list of recommended safety features as part of its five-star New Car Assessment Program. The so-called “Stars on Cars” label is posted on the new car window and seeks to provide consumers with safety information when comparison shopping.
The five-star rating system reflects performance tests for frontal, side and rollover crashworthiness. It also includes information on whether autos have advanced safety features, such as lane-departure and forward-collision warning systems. The emergency “automatic braking” and “dynamic braking” systems are found on many new vehicles. They sense an impending crash and apply the brakes if not in use or apply more fully if already in use in advance of an impending crash. The NHTSA does not intend to mandate the installation of the technology on all new vehicles at this time.
For more information, contact Stuart Gosswein at stuartg@sema.org.