WASHINGTON — For years, automakers have voluntarily equipped most new passenger cars and trucks with technology that can stop or slow a vehicle to prevent a collision. Now, U.S. auto safety regulators are proposing to require such systems — and demand that many improve.
NHTSA last week released a proposal to mandate automatic emergency braking, including pedestrian detection, on all new light-duty vehicles. The agency also set minimum performance standards, calling for systems that can prevent or mitigate frontal crashes at higher speeds and work effectively in the dark.
If the proposal is adopted, nearly all U.S. passenger cars and trucks would be required to have crash-avoidance technology that meets a number of performance standards three years after the rule is finalized. The agency's ultimate requirements would take effect the following year.
NHTSA projects the proposed rule, if finalized, would prevent at least 360 deaths a…