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Jan 14, 2024

Safety group wants bike detection added to NHTSA braking rule

WASHINGTON — A group advocating for consumer and roadway safety is urging NHTSA

WASHINGTON — A group advocating for consumer and roadway safety is urging NHTSA to include bicycle detection in a proposed rule-making on automatic emergency braking.

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety — a consortium of consumer, public health and safety groups as well as insurance companies — said performance standards in the agency's proposal "must ensure all road users, whether inside or outside the vehicle, including bicycles, are protected in all lighting conditions and at all appropriate speeds."

NHTSA last week released its proposal to mandate automatic emergency braking, including pedestrian detection, on all new light-duty vehicles. The agency also set minimum performance standards, calling for systems that can prevent or mitigate frontal crashes at higher speeds and work effectively in the dark.

However, the proposal does not include bicycle detection — a detail the safety group argues is "glaringly missing," especially as U.S. traffic deaths remain at crisis levels.

"In 2021, traffic fatalities reached nearly 43,000, and preliminary 2022 data show there is no sign of abating," said Cathy Chase, the group's president. "Tragically, bicycle deaths have risen more than 50 percent since 2010 along with a 13 percent increase in pedestrian fatalities, according to NHTSA. This carnage must stop. Common sense solutions are available, but they must be implemented."

If NHTSA's proposal is adopted, nearly all U.S. passenger cars and trucks would be required to have crash-avoidance technology that meets a number of performance standards three years after the rule is finalized. The agency's ultimate requirements would take effect the following year.

NHTSA projects the rule, if finalized, would prevent at least 360 deaths and reduce injuries on U.S. roads by at least 24,000 annually.

In a statement to Automotive News, NHTSA said there are currently no established test procedures to evaluate the crash-avoidance technology's performance in avoiding bicycles.

However, the agency "is conducting research in this area and will continue to evaluate including bicycle detection in future rule-makings."

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