USA - Subaru announces it, amongst nearly all US brands, will make Automatic Emergency Braking as standard.

• One of 20 automakers
• Two years ahead of proposed government regulation
• Focused on preventing collisions and injuries Standard feature on most models 

Subaru announced today that Automatic Emergency Braking will be standard on nearly all new models sold in the United States by 2022.

 

Subaru is one of 20 automotive manufacturers, representing more than 99 percent of the U.S. new-car market, that committed to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) to include this advanced driver assist technology on all of its model lines.

 

Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) helps prevent crashes or reduces their severity by applying the brakes for the driver. The system uses on-vehicle sensors such as radar or cameras to detect an imminent crash, warn the driver, and apply the brakes if the driver does not take sufficient action quickly enough.

 

Based on mounting evidence that AEB effectively reduces crashes and injuries in the U.S. and around the world, NHTSA and IIHS issued a challenge to the industry in September 2015 to encourage automakers to voluntarily make AEB a standard feature.  Subaru, renowned for safety, durability, and reliability, accepted the challenge.

 

IIHS research shows that AEB systems meeting the commitment would reduce rear-end crashes by 40 percent. IIHS estimates that by 2025 – the earliest NHTSA believes it could realistically implement a regulatory requirement for AEB – the commitment will prevent 28,000 crashes and 12,000 injuries.  Subaru pledged to meet this goal three years in advance. 

 

“It’s an exciting time for vehicle safety.  By making emergency braking systems standard equipment on their vehicles, these 20 automakers will help prevent crashes and save lives,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.  “It’s a win for safety and a win for consumers.”

 

AEB technology is currently available on nearly all Subaru models as optional equipment.  The 2016 Subaru Legacy, Outback, Forester, Impreza, WRX and Crosstrek are all available with  EyeSight^® Driver Assist Technology.  These 2016 models, when equipped with EyeSight, earned the 2016 IIHS Top Safety Pick+ award.  These vehicles are six of only 54 that took home the award by receiving the highest possible rating in all five crashworthiness evaluations and achieved a “Superior” rating for front crash prevention.