Automatic Emergency Braking in Commercial Motor Vehicles: Good or Bad Idea?

If you’ve ever slammed the brakes at the last second to avoid rear-ending the car in front of you, caught off guard by traffic suddenly slowing to a crawl, you’re not alone. And if your vehicle is equipped with technology that protects you from that type of collision, chances are you’re grateful for the beep, beep, beep that startles you into action.

Maybe you have been on the other side of that scenario, bracing yourself as the car or truck behind you approaches too quickly and closely for comfort. In the United States, there are more than 1.7 million rear-end collisions each year. About 135,000 of them involve a large truck, according to data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

Federal organizations have been pushing to require Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) systems in vehicles for the past several years. This year, they finalized a rule mandating the technology in new passenger vehicles. But heavy vehicles, like semis and other large trucks, are still not required to use AEB systems — and their collisions are the most dangerous of all.

What is Automatic Emergency Braking?

Automatic Emergency Braking technology is a safety feature installed in many new vehicles to prevent rear-end collisions. Using front-facing cameras, radars and other sensors, the systems detect and prevent impact with other vehicles.

When you’re approaching the car ahead of you and you don’t press your brakes hard enough (or at all), your car’s AEB technology will apply the brakes to avoid collision. Before the system reaches that point, it sends audio and/or visual warning signals to you, like an urgent beeping sound or a warning light.

Are large trucks required to have AEB?

Large, or heavy, trucks — defined in legislation as vehicles weighing more than 10,000 pounds — are not yet required by law to use AEB systems.

In June 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), under the U.S. Department of Transportation, took action toward requiring heavy vehicles to have AEB systems. The organizations announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which said the devices would reduce fatalities and injuries from rear-end crashes. The systems must work in low- and high-speed situations to avoid any front-to-rear crashes. If installed in all heavy vehicles, AEB technology could prevent 19,118 crashes, 8,814 injuries and 155 deaths each year, the NHTSA reported.

The rule finalized in April requires that all new cars and light trucks be manufactured with AEB systems by 2029. However, the proposed rule change geared toward AEB systems and large trucks has been delayed until January 2025.

Once the rule is passed, the heaviest trucks, known as Class 7 and 8 trucks — those weighing over 26,000 pounds — would be a top priority. Trucks between 10,000 and 26,000 pounds, which belong to classes 3-6, would have a bit longer to install the new technology.

Rear-end collisions are common and dangerous — but preventable.

Various organizations in the last decade have vouched for collision mitigation systems:

• In 2021 and 2022, the National Transportation Safety Board included AEB systems in its list of “Most Wanted” safety improvements.
• A 2018 survey revealed that 82% of Americans think Congress should require large trucks to use AEB technology.
• The CEO of trucking company Schneider National in 2017 reported that, within five years, AEB technology reduced its drivers’ rear-end accidents by 69%.

In a 10-year span, from 2012 to 2021, fatal crashes involving large trucks increased by 47%, according to NHTSA data. We are reaching a critical point, where technology is available and can save lives, but it is up to us to use it. Will we?

Looking forward

My law firm, Craig, Kelley & Faultless, has handled numerous wrongful death cases caused by a semi tractor-trailer rear-ending the client’s passenger vehicle. Some were caused by distracted driving. The trucker was using their cell phone for navigation, texting or even watching videos. Others were caused by drowsy drivers or stopped traffic in construction zones.

These people would likely be alive today if the commercial motor vehicle that hit them had automatic braking systems.

Texting and driving, speeding, drowsy driving — all of these are factors that can cause rear-end collisions. Even if you’re paying attention, if the driver in front of you brakes at the last second and catches you off guard, you might rear-end them. Accidents happen. And while denting another car’s bumper won’t ruin your life, other collisions are far more severe.

Especially when commercial motor vehicles are involved, rear-end crashes can be fatal. Requiring AEB technology will save lives and prevent unnecessary harm.

If you are the victim of serious personal injury from a rear-end accident, you’ll need someone to fight for you. At Craig, Kelley & Faultless, we have attorneys licensed in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Iowa, and 25 years of experience standing up to trucking and insurance companies.

Call us today at (800) 746-0226 or contact us through our online form.

David W. Craig sits on the Board of Regents of the Academy of Truck Accident Attorneys (which requires the board certification in truck accident law). He is the managing partner and one of the founding partners of Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC. He is recognized as a Top 10 Trucking Trial Lawyer and Top 100 Trial Lawyer in Indiana by the National Trial Lawyers, as well as a Top 50 Indiana lawyer by Super Lawyers. David is the author of Semitruck Wreck, A Guide for Victims and Their Families, written to help people navigate a terrible situation by answering questions that come after a tragic wreck. He also hosts the podcast After the Crash, where you can gain valuable information about the dangers involving semis and large trucks that do not follow Indiana law safety protocol regarding speed, weather conditions, maintenance upkeep, etc.