News Summary: NTSB urges anti-collision technology
ANTI-COLLISION FOR ALL: The National Transportation Safety Board said that automakers should be required to make the latest collision prevention technologies standard equipment on all new cars and trucks.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT: Including the technology could reduce fatal highway accidents by more than half, federal investigators said. Such technologies can prevent accidents that involve running off the road, rear-ending and lane-change maneuvers, they said. Those types of accidents account for 60 percent of fatal highway accidents. There were more than 32,000 traffic deaths in the U.S. last year.
HITTING THE BRAKES: The announcement was not welcomed by automakers, which do not want to drive up the cost of their product. Systems range from between $1,000 to $3,500. The most expensive systems automatically apply the brakes if there is no action from the driver. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers said they encourage customers to consider the systems, but that it should remain a choice.
