Senate asks if auto safety technology worth the cost
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Illustration: Annelise Capossela/Axios
Senate Democrats and Republicans are squaring off about vehicle safety requirements that are intended to save lives, but which also push up the price of new cars.
The big picture: It's an awkward debate for lawmakers to confront when 40,000 people die each year in motor vehicle crashes — and yet the country faces an affordability crisis with broad economic consequences.
- Democrats want the Trump administration to move faster on vehicle safety mandates, while Republicans are questioning whether the technologies even work.
Driving the news: Ten Democratic senators wrote to NHTSA chief Jonathan Morrison this week, demanding an update on the overdue implementation of auto-safety requirements that Congress approved four years ago under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
- Among them: technology that would detect children left behind in hot cars, stronger seat backs and advanced alcohol-detection systems.
The other side: Republicans, meanwhile, have summoned U.S. auto executives to a hearing in January to explain why cars have become so expensive.
- Many blame technologies like automatic emergency braking systems, which will be required in new cars starting in 2029, the Wall Street Journal reported.
- The crash avoidance systems use expensive sensors, cameras and software, but studies show the tech doesn't work as well at high speeds or at night.
- Automakers say the newly implemented standards could lead to an increase in rear-end collisions.
Reality check: Advanced driver assistance systems like adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping technology are really convenience features, not safety systems.
- They're often rolled into safety and security packages that come standard on many modern vehicles, but a lot of people don't use them.
- Yet they are the necessary building blocks for fully automated self-driving cars, which could ultimately make roads safer.
