Auto industry proposes update to safety ratings - Politico

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The leading auto industry trade group is proposing an update to the New Car Assessment Program, the federal government's safety rating of new vehicles.

Industry proposal: The recommendations from the Alliance for Automotive Innovation are broad, including establishing mid- and long-range road maps for the program, reviewing and updating it every three years, and engaging with stakeholders annually. The group also called for rulemakings to update regulations that may prohibit or limit manufacturers from moving forward with certain safety technologies.

But the Alliance also said it supports NHTSA immediately adding several crash avoidance technologies to NCAP, including two types of automatic emergency braking, lane departure warnings and automatic high beam features.

"This is in our view a win-win-win scenario for government safety regulators, vehicle manufacturers ... and most importantly consumers," Alliance CEO John Bozzella said on a call with reporters Tuesday.

Consumer advocacy groups have long called for updates to the program, which has not been changed since 2011.

NHTSA action: The recommendations follow a NHTSA notice in January, shortly before the end of the Trump administration, which asked for public comment about adding lane keeping support, pedestrian automatic emergency braking, blind spot warning and blind spot intervention to NCAP.

Bozzella said the industry group's suggestions are a "broader, more strategic approach" than what Trump's NHTSA proposed.

"We have a new administration and a new opportunity with the Biden administration, and with NHTSA as well as with policymakers and with members of Congress to develop a modern NCAP that serves the need of consumers as well as automakers and regulators," he said.

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