March 3, 2022 – As part of a push from the Biden administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA is currently exploring plans to update its Five-Star Safety Ratings program in order to better serve its goal to improve safety on US roads.
The plans concern the organization’s Five-Star rating system for new vehicles, also known as the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). The changes will include a recommendation that new vehicles include four new driver assistance technologies: lane-keeping, pedestrian automatic emergency braking, blind-spot detection, and blind-spot intervention.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg spoke in favor of the changes, noting the “crisis on America’s roadways” with over 3,000 people dying every month. “These important changes will help save lives on our roadways by ensuring that consumers have the information they need about the latest safety technologies when they buy a new vehicle,” said Buttigieg.