At first glance, it would seem NHTSA is throwing around ideas to look busy for the boss, and perhaps pump a proposed budget review.
If the famous motorcycle crash study we read about in recent months is still in the wings, radical and very costly agendas as this would seem premature.
While working in the public safety sensitive trucking industry, I witnessed an endless stream of proposed mandates come & go. It usually took many go-rounds to implement them. The environmental issues got passed fairly quickly, whereas the safety issues took longer.
I recall the fatality inducing FMVSS 121 anti lock brake disaster years ago, which was forced down the trucking industry's throats without proper input from the industry. The anti lock systems, as built to the gubmint's spec, ran out of compressed air, causing the truck to either lose all braking or lock all the brakes. What was intended to create safety instead took more than a few to early graves. Many millions were spent to equip trucks with these systems that did not work right. The mandate was later reversed, and we were allowed to de-activate the systems.
