Two months is not enough time to provide comprehensive comments on a proposal to require automated emergency braking systems, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance recently told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
CVSA filed a request to the agencies on Aug. 3, asking them to extend the comment period another 30 days.
“CVSA applauds the agencies for seeking public comment on this critical issue, and we look forward to providing comments to the agency on behalf of CVSA and the Commercial Vehicle Brake Manufacturers Council,” the group wrote. “However, 60 days is not adequate time to prepare and approve comments on such a complicated and important issue. CVSA and CVBMC are working to develop comments in response to the proposal and would like the opportunity to collaborate with other entities that will be commenting, to ensure all issues and concerns are addressed and our organizations can provide NHTSA and FMCSA with comments that will contribute to a comprehensive, well-informed, science and data-based notice of proposed rulemaking.”
Currently, the agencies are accepting comments on the AEB proposal through Sept. 5. If CVSA’s request is approved, the public would receive another month to provide feedback.
In July, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and FMCSA published a joint proposal that would require AEB systems and electronic stability control systems on new vehicles that weigh more than 10,000 pounds.
The proposal calls for all Class 7 and 8 vehicles – those weighing more than 26,000 pounds – to be required to meet the automatic emergency braking standards three years after the rule takes effect. All Class 3-6 vehicles – those weighing 10,001-26,000 pounds – would be required to meet the automatic emergency braking and electronic stability control requirements in four years. Small-volume manufacturers would have until five years after the final rule took effect.
So far, the two agencies have received more than 300 comments.
Many of the comments have come from truck drivers who say the technology is flawed.
“These proposed automatic braking systems are still not ready for widespread usage due to the number of false positive detections by the radar system,” truck driver Gary D. Terhune wrote. “I have been driving trucks with such systems for 12-plus years. The systems pick up signs, overpasses, traffic lights, street lights and even trees that are often not actually in the line of travel. This becomes especially problematic when a company’s safety department monitors these systems and believes them to be completely infallible. They are in fact guilty of faults. Some of which could cause other vehicles in close proximity to then crash into a vehicle which has an automatic system installed. I do agree that a vehicle detection system is useful. Just not the automatic braking feature.”
Other truckers, such as Carrie Moore, informed the agencies about a near crash caused by a false braking incident.
On July 24, OOIDA sent a letter to the agencies to relay concerns from truck drivers about the proposal.
“While there are many operational concerns about using an AEB system, truckers are especially worried about the potential for false activations,” OOIDA wrote. “As you can imagine, drivers are concerned the 80,000-pound truck they are driving could unexpectedly brake to a complete stop for no reason. In the face of this threat, the best the agencies offer in the (proposal) is ‘some assurance that an AEB system is capable of differentiating between an actual imminent collision and a non-threat.’”
How to comment
To submit a comment on the notice of proposed rulemaking, go to regulations.gov by Sept. 5 and enter Docket Nos. FMCSA-2022-0171 or NHTSA-2023-0023. There is no need to file comments to both agencies. You also can go to FightingforTruckers.com, where OOIDA has made it easy for truck drivers to provide feedback to the agencies. LL
Credit: Source link
