The NHTSA is proposing new guidance that would, after years of demands from safety advocates, include pedestrian safety assessments in crash test requirements.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing an update to crash testing standards that would finally take pedestrian safety into account, reports Colin Woodard in Jalopnik. This would be a major step forward for an agency that, until now, only conducted tests to assess the safety of people inside vehicles.
Woodard writes that “In addition to testing how well vehicles protect pedestrians, the NHTSA’s proposal also includes a plan to set safety standards for automatic emergency braking, which includes pedestrian detection.”
For Woodard and many traffic safety advocates who have expressed concern about increasingly large trucks and SUVs that put pedestrians at higher risk, the actions are long overdue. “Hopefully, adding pedestrian safety tests will not only lead to safer cars but also add a stigma to driving oversized behemoths that are hard to see out of and are a danger to everyone.”
Woodard encourages readers to submit their comments to the NHTSA, which is receiving public comment on the issue for the next two months.
FULL STORY: NHTSA Is Proposing Caring About Pedestrians Too
Has Progress on Travel Safety Run Off the Road?
Changing technology and rebuilding infrastructure to improve road safety are long-term strategies. How can enforcement and interventions that influence driver behavior make a difference in reducing traffic deaths sooner?
Making Autonomous Vehicles Safer for Blind Pedestrians
A team of researchers is developing a dataset to fill a critical gap in self-driving cars’ learning models.
Heavier Vehicles Don’t Keep Passengers Safer
A new study shows that modern safety features are more important than size and weight once vehicles weigh over 4,000 pounds.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
Delivering for America Plan Will Downgrade Mail Service in at Least 49.5 Percent of Zip Codes
Republican and Democrat lawmakers criticize the plan for its disproportionate negative impact on rural communities.
Test News Post 1
This is a summary
Test News Headline 46
Test for the image on the front page.
Balancing Bombs and Butterflies: How the National Guard Protects a Rare Species
The National Guard at Fort Indiantown Gap uses GIS technology and land management strategies to balance military training with conservation efforts, ensuring the survival of the rare eastern regal fritillary butterfly.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
EMC Planning Group, Inc.
Planetizen
Planetizen
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service