The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

The student news site of Hawthorne High School.

The Clarion

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NHTSA Recommending Braking Technology on New Cars

The most common type of car accident, according to autoaccidentresource.com, is a rear end collision, where the front bumper of one car, hits the rear bumper of another car. Out of the 6 million automobile accidents reported each year, rear end collisions make up 2.5 million of them, making them the most common. Many can argue whether the cause of these accidents is distracted driving, poor weather conditions or even driving under the influence, but it still does not reduce the number of rear end collisions.

According to LAtimes.com, in an effort to reduce these accidents, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is currently recommending car manufacturers to install two different types of braking systems in new cars coming out in the next few years. These braking systems will apply the brakes in an emergency situation when the driver either does not apply the brakes fast enough, or hard enough.

Crash Imminent Braking (CIB), will detect a possible collision using sensors in the front of the car, and apply the brakes if the driver does not. Another system recommended is the Dynamic Brake Support (DBS), which will increase the level of braking if the driver is not braking hard enough, and a collision is inevitable. Many luxury car companies such as BMW and Mercedes Benz already have this type of technology installed in some of their cars.

As of right now, these braking systems are not mandatory in new cars, but eventually they might be. Just like airbags, seatbelts and now backup cameras, the NHTSA wants to have CIB and DBS become an essential part of every car. Although this will take a few years just for it to be added to the list of mandatory parts on a car, it will also take longer for car manufacturers to install this technology in the cars. The NHTSA is hoping over the next two months, they will receive positive feedback on their recommendation for automatic braking systems. If this happens, it can lead to the mandatory need for CIB and DBS in all new cars.