Trump regulation freeze hits NHTSA’s AEB mandate

Progress on US automotive safety regulations has hit a temporary roadblock in the wake of President Trump’s regulatory freeze. On 20 January, his first official day in office, Trump issued a “Regulatory Freeze Pending Review” memorandum. Essentially, this instructs all executive departments and agencies to refrain from proposing or issuing any new rule until it is reviewed and approved by a department or agency head appointed by the president. The order includes the immediate withdrawal of rules sent for publication but not yet published in the Federal Register. As a result, the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has postponed a final ruling on mandatory automatic emergency braking (AEB).