NHTSA backpedals on throttle-override mandate

All major automakers voluntarily implemented the technology, making the proposed rule unnecessary.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has dropped its proposed regulation that would have required automakers to install a system that overrides the throttle whenever the brake pedal is pressed.

The agency had been mulling the rule since 2012 in the wake of the Toyota unintended acceleration fiasco. In the meantime, all major automakers voluntarily implemented the technology.

Regulators apparently do not expect any automaker to remove the technology in future vehicles, making the formal regulation unnecessary, according to Reuters.

The NHTSA had also considered a mandate for technology that would return the throttle to idle when the driver is no longer pressing on the accelerator pedal. The agency has also decided against making a formal rule for such technology, however, and acknowledged that a "broader understanding of safe design of vehicle electronic control systems is needed to make an informed decision on regulating return-to-idle."