Your Future Vehicle May Not Be As Safe As It Could Have Been | Carscoops

      Automakers have expressed that they would not have sufficient time to implement the necessary safety modifications by the 2026 model year.

      The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has postponed essential safety feature requirements for achieving five-star ratings until 2027.

      Features like lane-keeping assist and blind spot technology were to be mandatory in the 2026 models. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation advocated for this timeline extension.

      The effort to enhance the safety of America’s roads has encountered another obstacle. Despite its commitment to reducing traffic fatalities, the NHTSA has postponed the introduction of new standards related to five-star safety ratings in response to requests from automakers.

      While manufacturers might find relief in this decision, it is less reassuring for the public, especially considering nearly 40,000 lives were lost on U.S. roads last year.

      The revised requirements were slated to roll out with the 2026 model year, expanding the New Car Assessment Program to include features such as blind-spot warning, blind-spot intervention, lane-keeping assist, and automatic emergency braking for pedestrians. A revision to the standards for automatic emergency braking was also expected to come into effect within the same period.

      Automakers Push Back

      However, the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents companies like BMW, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, VW, Kia, JLR, Mitsubishi, and Mazda, contended that the timeline was overly ambitious. The group argued that manufacturers would lack sufficient time to equip upcoming models with the necessary technology to achieve five-star ratings.

      Last week, the NHTSA announced it would delay the enforcement of the new safety regulations until the 2027 model year, ultimately yielding to the demands of some of the largest car manufacturers in the world.

      Plenty of Notice

      The postponement has faced criticism, as manufacturers were not exactly caught off guard. As early as March 2022, the NHTSA had publicly proposed these changes, and many vehicles were already meeting or surpassing the anticipated standards at that time. This makes the argument for insufficient preparation time more difficult to justify.

      Sources indicate that the Alliance for Automotive Innovation has also urged President Donald Trump to reconsider regulations requiring nearly all cars and trucks to be equipped with advanced automatic emergency braking systems by 2029. These regulations were finalized in April 2024.