General Motors (GM) announced that it will go beyond the industry's promise to include Automatic Emergency Braking as a standard feature on at least 95% of marketed vehicles.

According to the automaker, 98% of its vehicles for the 2023 model year will include automatic emergency braking in addition to four other tried-and-tested active safety technologies. These features, which are offered at different price points and are applicable to both EVs and internal combustion engine vehicles, are now standard across the full 2023 portfolio. This includes all EVs coming this year, such as the Chevrolet Blazer EV and Equinox EV.

The industry goal of having Automatic Emergency Braking as standard equipment guarantees that more automobiles will be safer, thanks to cooperation among automakers. The other four active safety features being offered as standard equipment by GM are forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, and IntelliBeam auto high-beam control.

"GM has gone well beyond the safety commitment we made to our customers for the 2023 model year, with a handful of additional standard safety features shown to bring real-world results," said John Capp, director, Vehicle Safety Technology, Strategy, and Regulations. "As we look ahead toward a future vision of zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion, these technologies are significant building blocks with proven benefits for reducing common crashes."

That said, GM's affordable vehicles will also have these active safety features. The Chevrolet Trax, which starts at $21,495, will have these advanced features, and the newly revealed Buick Envista, which sells for below $24,000, will get them as standard as well.

Despite GM's move to standardize the active safety systems, the automaker reiterates high-tech features should not replace the driver's responsibility to operate vehicles safely. As we pointed out before, driver-assist systems are not fool-proof and can be affected by various factors.