South Carolina Motorcycle Rights Association

March 17, 2022

Editor’s Note: The MRF wishes to clarify the distinction between an automated driving system (ADS) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS).

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) refers to “self-driving” technologies that do not require a driver’s constant attention (and may not require a driver at all) as ADS. The agency refers to technologies that support drivers but require a human driver to remain fully engaged in the driving task as ADAS.

NHTSA Responds to Questions from Congress

Just before the end of 2022, Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan and 26 of his colleagues in Congress sent a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding recent crashes that involve motorcycles and cars believed to be in self-driving mode.

The response from government regulators has some key takeaways:

• “NHTSA is actively working to educate consumers and the media that ADAS technologies are not self-driving technologies, and that drivers must always remain engaged in the driving task.”

• “Crashes involving motorcycles account for less than 2 percent of all reported crashes involving vehicles with either ADS or Level 2 ADAS technologies.”

• “NHTSA is conducting research on how vehicles equipped with crash avoidance technologies react to motorcycles, bicyclists and other vulnerable road users in various scenarios.”

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation is committed to aggressively working with lawmakers to address obvious safety gaps in the deployment of this new technology. While we appreciate that NHTSA is conducting research on this topic, on this topic, motorcyclists are not “vulnerable road users”, motorcyclists are simply road users.

Additionally, it’s unacceptable that consumers falsely believe ADAS technology, deployed on our roads, allows them to sit back and relax while in the driver’s seat. The safety of the nearly 10 million bikers on our nation’s roadways requires that all roadway users act in a responsible manner.

To read the original letter sent to NHTSA click here

To read the response for NHTSA click here

As always Ride Safe and Ride Free.

About Motorcycle Riders Foundation

The Motorcycle Riders Foundation (MRF) provides leadership at the federal level for states’ motorcyclists’ rights organizations as well as motorcycle clubs and individual riders. The MRF is chiefly concerned with issues at the national and international levels that impact the freedom and safety of American street motorcyclists. The MRF is committed to being a national advocate for the advancement of motorcycling and its associated lifestyle and works in conjunction with its partners to help educate elected officials and policymakers in Washington and beyond.

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