If autonomous driving is something that sounds unsettling to you, the latest proposal from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration may turn you off the idea altogether. Last week’s update Vehicles equipped with automated driving systems (ADS) eliminate the need for manual braking components, aka brake pedals, according to US federal motor vehicle safety standards.
It’s all part of America’s reality star turned government official reality star-turned-Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy avi framework He announced in April 2025. NHTSA chief counsel Peter Simhauser said in the original release that Duffy and his goons are behind the scenes slowing cutting out unnecessary components on autonomous vehicles, which “could enable AV manufacturers to develop faster and spend less time on unnecessary process, while also advancing safety.”
Special offer shared by NHTSA Would completely eliminate the brake pedal and emergency brake lever on vehicles built only for automated driving. Of course, if a human being was never meant to drive a vehicle, it would seem that there would be no need for manual braking devices. But the problem is that NHTSA’s proposal is betting too much on software taking control appropriately and stopping when something goes wrong. You, the passenger, won’t be able to do anything about it.
NHTSA’s guide on how to stop a car without knowing how to stop it
The proposal states that braking control will be performed entirely by ADS, but an ADS-equipped vehicle must also be able to stop when directed by a passenger. NHTSA argues that placing manually operated driving controls on the passenger side “may pose a safety risk through intentional or unintentional misuse by the vehicle passenger.” It’s understandable to want to avoid accidents, but you could also argue that it’s better to be safe than sorry when your life is in the hands of a machine?
There is no required option or direction for a button or fail-safe switch that anyone inside or outside the vehicle can press to stop the automated vehicle. When I reached out to NHTSA about the lack of instructions or guidance on an option, a representative reiterated a section in the proposal that states, “It is NHTSA’s expectation that if these controls are removed, passengers will be provided a means to instruct the ADS-powered vehicle to stop, although how a passenger would indicate that they want the ADS-powered vehicle to stop may vary by manufacturer.”
In other words, any emergency braking device will not be standardized, and the agency’s blind faith expects the manufacturer to include something for your or emergency personnel’s use. How will you tell where it is and how to operate it, hopefully it will be included somewhere in or around the vehicle according to the manufacturer.
But, what if manufacturers don’t include a manual way to stop?
NHTSA will establish new testing procedures to ensure that ADS-powered vehicles are braking safely and in accordance with U.S. regulations. However, what those new testing procedures are and what they will involve is expected to evolve and improve in real time.
Guidelines exist to inform passengers on braking system issues (and allow you to continue your ride if there is a problem), but answers are lacking for situations beyond everyday driving in the right driving environment. Reality dictates that there is a lot of nuance between people, car accidents, animals, and unavoidable obstacles on the road. All of them create problems to which some ADS-equipped vehicles do not respond well or in some cases do not respond at all. To fix it he comes back to the manufacturer again.
And this may be the same approach required for an unresponsive vehicle in an emergency. ADS-equipped vehicles remain a problem for first responders, and while some companies are willing to remove hurdles to make things easier and aid response times, they are far from perfect. NHTSA is actually giving ADS Intelligence the benefit of the doubt rather than acknowledging where it really is. Sure, real-world driving data can help these systems learn better and adapt to situations, but every vehicle that doesn’t respond or relies on things like QR codes to scan and learn about its systems in an emergency is a problem.
In the worst case, if you have no means of stopping the vehicle, you may be enjoying the ride of your life.
