Welcome to today’s edition of the Daily 5.
Whenever new automotive safety devices or technologies emerge, a debate quickly arises about whether they should be mandatory or optional. Ultimately, the discussion comes down to imperfect cost-benefit analyses that rely on the number of lives saved versus the economic costs and complications. But some complications can be unforeseen.
That’s the case with automatic emergency braking systems, which reporter Molly Boigon takes a broad look at today in three in-depth stories.
These systems clearly work. The NHTSA estimates that they save 362 lives in the U.S. each year. But the systems are plagued by flaws that potentially affect millions of vehicles made by multiple automakers. False alarms—or phantom braking—have led to recalls, injuries, and litigation.
It’s reminiscent of airbags, which date back to the 1960s and save thousands of lives each year. But they can malfunction with tragic results. The industry has spent decades refining airbag technology to account for the dangers posed to children and smaller vehicle occupants during crashes.
The largest recall in automotive history stems from Takata’s deadly airbags, which have been linked to at least 30 deaths and hundreds of injuries in recent years.
However, airbags remain standard equipment and have saved thousands of lives. It’s a good bet that automatic emergency braking systems will follow suit.
Some other stories to check out in today’s report:
UAW members rallied against Stellantis today at the company’s Sterling Heights Assembly Plant near Detroit amid strike threats. Reporter Michael Martinez covered it. The story includes this photo of Stellantis Chairman John Elkann having dinner with CEO Carlos Tavares last night at a restaurant in suburban Detroit.
And we have this report about another top executive who is leaving Tesla Inc.
Looking ahead to Monday, we’ll have the next installment of our Future Product Pipeline series. We’ll focus on the Ford and Lincoln brands.
That’s it for now. Have a great weekend!