The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed inclusion of a system that would shut down the throttle in the event that the brake and accelerator pedal were depressed simultaneously, and most automakers appear to be squarely behind it. Known as a brake-throttle override (BTO), the system would minimize the risk that drivers would lose control of their vehicles due to a stuck accelerator or entrapped floormat.
"We support the idea of making it standard," Wade Newton, a spokesman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, told Design News. "We've been behind it since it was first discussed in 2010." He said that the Alliance is now reviewing the proposal and will offer specific comments at a later date.
