Feds Demand System to Ensure Brakes Work

Are you terrified of your car suddenly and uncontrollably accelerating, Toyota-style? Well, federal regulators are at last moving to put your mind at ease. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has put forward a proposal to require all new vehicles to include a brake override system, the LA Times reports. These electronic safeguards make sure that pressing your brake will always stop the car—even if your accelerator is, say, caught under a floor mat.

The Department of Transportation has been contemplating such a move for years. "America’s drivers should feel confident that any time they get behind the wheel they can easily maintain control of their vehicles," says Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. But some auto experts say the systems are unlikely to help. Unintended acceleration "is usually a driver error issue," says an Edmunds.com vp. "In other words, the gas is being applied, not the brakes." (More sudden acceleration stories.)