Automatic brakes may have saved lives in the Berlin Christmas truck attack

The attack happened on December 19th, and 12 people were killed and 48 injured by the careening truck. DW points out that if it weren't for the truck's automatic brakes, the attack could have been even worse.

The news organization also notes that automatic emergency brakes have been required on all new semis weighing more than approximately 7,700 pounds since 2012. In contrast to Europe's laws, the United States has no automatic emergency braking requirement for commercial trucks. Forbes reports could such a requirement could be quite a few years away, probably after it becomes a standard feature on cars. Even with the automatic braking systems, this and other similar attacks have still been horribly lethal. This past July, a truck was used to kill 84 people in Nice, France.