Filed under: Government/Legal, Safety, Technology
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced plans to update the agency's current vehicle safety standards. In order to protect drivers in the event they depress both the accelerator and the brake pedal at the same time, automakers will be required to install a bake-throttle override on new vehicles moving forward. The hope is that the systems will curb instances of unintended acceleration. The new standards will apply on all cars, trucks and buses regardless of weight. NHTSA says many manufacturers are already including similar systems on their products.
The update will replace Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124, Accelerator Control Systems. The public has 60 days to comment on the proposed change, which may be viewed in full PDF form here.
Early last year, NASA engineers found no electronic cause for the claims of unintended acceleration levied at Toyota. The report prompted Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to blame the cases on "pedal misapplication." Hit the jump for the full press release.
Continue reading NHTSA wants Brake-Throttle Override systems added to official Safety Standards
NHTSA wants Brake-Throttle Override systems added to official Safety Standards originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 12 Apr 2012 16:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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