Technology Advances Required On New Montana Cars in 2029

Technology for cars and trucks is moving fast. I don't personally get to experience all the new technology, since I drive vehicles that are over 20 years old. For me it was exciting to get cruise control and a CD player in my car.

Montana Has Seen A Cybertruck

Now there is talk about "self-driving" cars and trucks and some vehicles can parallel  park themselves, and there is the Driver Assistance Technologies. Speaking of technologically advanced vehicles, Tesla's "Cybertruck" has been spotted in Montana.

Read More: Missoula Witness First Sightings of the Elusive Cybertruck  

When it comes to safety there are more safety features that are added all the time. From airbags, to warnings when a vehicle is in your blind spot. Now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced plans for safety requirements on cars and light trucks. According to a press release, they will be requiring cars and light trucks be equipped with "automatic emergency braking" (AEB) by September of 2029. "This safety standard is expected to significantly reduce rear-end and pedestrian crashes."

AEB Is Expected to Save Lives

AEB uses sensors to detect when a vehicle is close to crashing into another vehicle or a person in front of the vehicle and then automatically applies the brakes, if the driver hasn't. This new standard is called, FMVSS No. 127, and is "expected to save at least 360 lives a year and prevent at least 24,000 injuries annually."

There's a few years before this technology will be required standard on new vehicles and probably even longer before these will be common place on Montana roads. In Montana we hold onto our used vehicles longer than other states.

Read More: Unsurprising Montanans Get the Most Out Of Their Vehicles

If this technology can help save lives on Montana's roads then that is a good thing.