Like most transportation policy in this nation, decisions are made by elected officials and lobbyists without a single nod towards the concerns of us two-wheelers. Case in point- transportation providers like Uber are busy working to produce technology that would make driverless cars commonplace on our roads, but as they and several automakers do their bidding to rush legislation through Washington, D.C. no one has considered whether these vehicles will be safe to operate around motorcycles. We even spent several weeks tracking down Craig Ewer, a spokesperson for the famously interview shy Uber who admitted that no one from the motorcycling lobby- not the AMA, not the Motorcycle Industry Council- has been consulted on the matter, which is not surprising. Lucky for us, the AMA has issued the following press release aimed at getting riders active in making sure we don’t get steamrolled- literally and figuratively- in the rush to make autonomous vehicles a reality.
Federal regulator requests comment on updated automated vehicle policy Voice your concerns today! On Sept. 15, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requested comments on its updated federal automated vehicle policy – Automated Driving Systems: A Vision for Safety. The deadline to submit comments is Nov. 14. Take Action This issue is of vital importance to motorcyclists nationwide, as carmakers and technology companies deploy ever-more-sophisticated vehicles on our roadways. The American Motorcyclist Association needs your help to ensure that this new technology and infrastructure recognizes motorcyclists and reacts appropriately to your presence. Help us keep you and our fellow riders safe by responding to this message.According to the NHTSA notice, “as automated vehicle technologies advance, they have the potential to dramatically reduce the loss of life each day in roadway crashes.” Reducing traffic crashes involving motorcycles and decreasing the number of motorcycle operators and passengers injured or killed each year is a top priority of the AMA. Through a comprehensive approach of promoting rider education, the use of personal protective equipment, increased motorist awareness and discouraging impaired motorcycle operation, the AMA seeks to enhance motorcycle safety in transportation and recreational activities.While the AMA is heartened to see that motorcyclists are mentioned in the Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety document in which they encourage entities to consider “external actors with whom the ADS may have interactions, including other vehicles (both traditional and those with ADSs), motorcyclists.” We feel more should be done to ensure automated driving systems can properly interact with motorcyclists on the road.To protect the safety of our nation’s more than 8.5 million motorcyclists, the AMA is urging NHTSA to work with manufacturers, software developers and other entities to create testing procedures that can verify the ability of this technology to safely interact with motorcyclists on the road.Additionally, the AMA is concerned that vehicle operators will become increasingly dependent on these automated systems and complacent with regard to their proficiency in operating their vehicles, subscribing to the mindset that “technology will rescue me from any bad decisions I make.”Therefore, the federal automated vehicle policy should include a comprehensive consumer awareness campaign to educate the public on these new technologies and their limits.Advanced crash-avoidance warning systems technologies used in motor vehicles must not supplant an operator’s responsibility to operate the vehicle in a safe and responsible manner. While technology can, and should, enhance the actions of the operator in maintaining control of the vehicle, safe operation of a motor vehicle should remain the operator’s highest priority.With the safety of motorcyclists the utmost priority of the AMA, we urge you to voice your opinion before Nov. 14.