General Motors (GM) has made an announcement regarding the inclusion of active safety technologies in their vehicles. Starting this year, all electric vehicles (EVs) produced by GM will come equipped with an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, along with four other safety features. Furthermore, the majority of non-electric vehicles manufactured by GM will also have these safety technologies.
The safety technologies incorporated into the vehicles include AEB, forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, and automatic high-beam control. These features will be standard in all new EVs and 98 percent of all vehicles produced by GM going forward.
This decision from GM comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed new regulations mandating AEB systems in all automobiles with a gross vehicle weight below 10,000 lbs. Despite an existing industry-wide agreement to adopt active safety technology, NHTSA aims to establish standards for efficacy and enhance pedestrian protection, particularly during nighttime when pedestrians are most vulnerable.
The official rule is expected to take a minimum of three years to come into effect. NHTSA predicts that the implementation of this rule will save approximately 360 lives annually and reduce injuries by 24,000 per year. GM believes that its suite of active safety technologies can have an even greater impact.
According to a study conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, GM’s AEB and forward collision alert systems led to a 42 percent reduction in rear-end crashes, while front pedestrian braking resulted in a 23 percent decrease in such accidents. Additionally, lane keep assist reduced collisions related to roadway departure by 15 percent, and automatic high-beam assistance technology lowered nighttime collisions involving animals, pedestrians, and cyclists by 22 percent.
John Capp, the director of Vehicle Safety Technology, Strategy, and Regulations at GM, expressed their commitment to safety, stating, “GM has gone well beyond the safety commitment we made to our customers for the 2023 model year, with a handful of additional standard safety features shown to bring real-world results. As we look ahead toward a future vision of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion, these technologies are significant building blocks with proven benefits for reducing common crashes.”
