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Feds Want to Drop Requirement for Autonomous Cars to Have a Brake Pedal
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Feds Want to Drop Requirement for Autonomous Cars to Have a Brake Pedal

Car and Driver · Jun 26, 2026, 7:01 PM · Also reported by 4 other sources

Key takeaways

  • Braking distance regulations would stick around, but the physical pedals would no longer be required for cars designed to be exclusively autonomous.
  • That's generally a good thing, since it usually means keeping people safe, but sometimes it means an archaic ruleset that hampers innovation.
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Why this matters: an automotive development that could shape industry direction or buying decisions.

Braking distance regulations would stick around, but the physical pedals would no longer be required for cars designed to be exclusively autonomous.

Tesla The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced the start of rulemaking for new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), which notably would change some rules for driverless cars.The biggest change in the new regulations would be to remove the requirement for a physical brake pedal in vehicles designed exclusively as autonomous vehicles. The new FMVSS would still require that autonomous vehicles maintain the same level of safety, such as stopping distance requirements, but drops requirements for manual controls.Regulations tend to move more slowly than industry. That's generally a good thing, since it usually means keeping people safe, but sometimes it means an archaic ruleset that hampers innovation. Supporters of driverless cars and cars equipped with automated driving systems (ADS), who have argued for years that the latter is true, may have just earned a small victory. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced proposed changes to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) to update the rules governing driverless cars.

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