Automated Emergency Braking should be mandatory

ETSC is calling for Automated Emergency Braking systems to be fitted as standard on new cars in the EU. The technology, which is already available as an optional extra even on low-cost vehicles, has been described by one leading UK vehicle safety expert as potentially ‘as important a breakthrough as the seatbelt’.

Peter Shaw, chief executive of Thatcham Research, the UK insurance industry’s research centre, made the comments to What Car? Magazine, while also calling for government subsidies for buyers who opt for an AEB system.

ETSC believes that the technology should be made mandatory in Europe in the near future. Anti-lock braking systems (ABS), Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and driver seat-belt reminders are all now fitted as standard thanks to EU rules. But the relevant legislation is currently being reviewed as it has not been updated since 2009. The technology has evolved dramatically since then, and the costs of so-called active safety systems have dropped in the meantime.

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• ETSC’s member the German Road Safety Council (DVR) has launched a free mobile phone app offering buyers of new cars explanations of the latest in-car safety systems. The app is available in English or German and is compatible with Apple and Android devices. http://app.bester-beifahrer.de
• A poll of more than 2,300 UK adults by YouGov , commissioned by pedestrian charity Living Streets, found 66% are in favour of Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) technology being compulsory for public transport vehicles such as buses and coaches, and 70% in favour for commercial traffic such as lorries and vans. See article