Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) President Cathy Chase participated in an online panel discussion, “Give Bicyclists a Brake – the Role of Vehicles in #VisionZero,” hosted by the League of American Bicyclists as part of their annual National Summit. The event focused on the role that vehicle design and safety systems can play in preventing and mitigating pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and deaths.
Chase’s presentation included overviews on lifesaving crash avoidance technology and vehicle designs that lessen crash impacts and severity. These improvements are urgently needed and should be addressed through rulemaking by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). She also discussed necessary upgrades to the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP), which the U.S. pioneered more than four decades ago, but has unfortunately fallen behind our international counterparts. Last fall, Advocates outlined necessary changes in a report, “NCAP at 40: Time to Return to Excellence.” The presentation also discussed safety issues and public opinion regarding driverless cars, as well as what is necessary to ensure they are safe for all road users.
Other participants included moderator Ken McLeod, Policy Director of the League of American Bicyclists, Richard Schram, Technical Director of EuroNCAP, and Becky Mueller, Senior Research Engineer of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Vehicle Research Center.