Backlog in federal safety rules amid US car crash ‘epidemic’

WASHINGTON (AP) — After their 16-year-old daughter died in a car crash, David and Wendy Mills wondered whether she would be alive if federal rules on rear seat belt warnings had been issued on time.

Four years later, with no rule and traffic fatalities spiking, they’re still at a loss over the inaction.

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Last year, over half of all crash fatalities involved unbelted drivers or occupants, the highest level since 2012, according to NHTSA.

An estimated 38,680 people were killed in traffic crashes in 2020, the highest total since 2007, even though total miles driven dropped due to stay-at-home orders at the beginning of the pandemic. In the first three months of 2021, 8,730 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, a 10.5% increase from the same period last year.

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https://fox59.com/news/backlog-in-federal-safety-rules-amid-us-car-crash-epidemic/

Federal, State Agencies Ramping Up Pedestrian Safety

Effortseditor@aashto.org October 14, 2021

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Federal Highway Administration, and state departments of transportation across the country are celebrating October as National Pedestrian Safety Month by strengthening their efforts to improve safety for vulnerable road users. The emphasis on pedestrian safety comes as data show that, in 2019 alone, 6,205 pedestrians died in traffic crashes across the United States. Older adults, black and indigenous people, as well as people walking in low-income communities, remain disproportionately represented in fatal pedestrian crashes, NHTSA noted.

read full article here: https://aashtojournal.org/2021/10/14/federal-state-agencies-ramping-up-pedestrian-safety-efforts/

As E-Bikes Speed Up, a Policy Dilemma Looms.

The newest electric bikes can go much faster than pedal-only riders, which could spur a backlash from pedestrians and a crackdown from regulators.

By

David Zipper

October 29, 2021, 1:00 PM GMT+2

"Aware of the V’s power, Carlier believes that government oversight is necessary. “There should be a minimum age and driver’s license,” he says. But he demurs on other possible limitations, such as requiring insurance or limiting where a V could be ridden.

For now, though, the regulatory landscape for a 37-mph e-bike is muddled in the United States. In 2002, the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission established a general definition of e-bikes (under 750 watts of power and a top speed of 20 mph), but states typically determine whether such vehicles must be registered, while cities decide where they can be ridden. More than 30 states have now adopted a three-tiered classification system developed by the bike industry. The fastest Class 3 e-bikes are limited to 28 mph. (A few stragglers like Massachusetts still have yet to codify their e-bike rules, though a new bill may address that.) Congress used the three-class system in its current proposal for a federal e-bike tax credit, meaning that bikes like the VanMoof V that exceed 28 mph wouldn’t be eligible for it.

So where does all of this leave an electric bicycle that goes faster than a Class 3 e-bike? Basically, in limbo. “It’s an out-of-class vehicle,” says Banayan. “How a vehicle like that is regulated is up to the states, and there aren’t yet any clear trends on how they are addressing these products.”

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https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-29/super-fast-e-bikes-could-risk-a-regulatory-backlash?fbclid=IwAR3RVCU52cP38m3d4UAxgRnNOJZJl1xFTdStp--2jQI3b03MZgWYtvEgjHA