The 10 companies – Audi, BMW, Ford, General Motors, Mazda, Mercedes Benz, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo – will work with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) in the coming months on implementing the move, including the timeline for making AEB a standard feature.

“We are entering a new era of vehicle safety, focused on preventing crashes from ever occurring, rather than just protecting occupants when crashes happen,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "But if technologies such as automatic emergency braking are only available as options or on the most expensive models, too few Americans will see the benefits of this new era. These 10 companies are committing to making AEB available to all new-car buyers.”

Several studies, including a recent report from IIHS, show that AEB technology can reduce insurance injury claims by as much as 35%.

The US Department of Transportation and IIHS also encouraged all other light-vehicle and trucking manufacturers to bring automated vehicle technology to all vehicles on US roads as soon as possible.

“The evidence is mounting that AEB is making a difference,” said IIHS president Adrian Lund. “Most crashes involve driver error. This technology can compensate for the mistakes every driver makes because the systems are always on alert, monitoring the road ahead and never getting tired or distracted.”

Responding to the news, insurance-owned research body Thatcham Research has called on the car manufacturers involved to match their USA commitment to AEB within Europe too.

"Vehicle manufacturers are widely acknowledged to have contributed the most to cutting death and serious injuries on our roads, with high levels of protection for occupants being the expected norm,” says Peter Shaw, chief executive of Thatcham Research.

“Manufacturers have taken great strides forward in crash avoidance and mitigation technology – but far too frequently, it is standard equipment only in luxury vehicles. Elsewhere, it can be expensive, lacking promotion and a little-understood optional extra… or simply not available.”