Photo: screenshot from YouTube
If you’re looking at today’s trends in the auto industry, you’ll notice that autonomous cars able to even communicate between each other represent the future in road transportation. But will they be aware of motorcycles? That’s what the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) wants to know.
Let's be honest, motorcycles won’t get autonomous that soon. Who the hell would buy such a thing? This means we will still ride the old fashioned way in times when most cars on the road will drive themselves while their drivers can casually do what they want.
And this raises some problems, like those cars’ ability to spot us in traffic (hopefully better than drivers now) and act accordingly. AMA noticed this issue and is now striving to put motorcyclists on the board of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
“We have been representing the interests of the motorcycling community since Day 1 on this issue,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president of government relations. “We certainly recognize and appreciate the potential for improved safety as vehicles communicate while in operation. But we want to ensure that the detection and response sensors and software can detect motorcyclists and respond appropriately.”
Recently, the DOT issued a proposed rule that would advance the deployment of connected vehicle technologies throughout the nation’s light-vehicle fleet. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would enable vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology on all new light-duty vehicles, and thus enabling new crash-avoidance systems.
“This new technology could help motorcyclists immensely by alerting drivers of a rider’s presence as they prepare to make a left turn or approach a motorcycle from the rear,” Allard explains. “The AMA has submitted comments to the DOT and its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since this technology first came to light. And we plan to work with the current administration, the incoming administration and Congress on these issues.”
The AMA also came up with a list of things to be considered when such systems will be deployed. For starters, the software and sensors must be designed to recognize motorcycles. Then, the communications systems implemented, whether Wi-Fi or other technology, must be secure from hackers. And finally, personal privacy must be protected, so the vehicle operators should have the option to turn off the signal to prevent unwanted tracking.
And this raises some problems, like those cars’ ability to spot us in traffic (hopefully better than drivers now) and act accordingly. AMA noticed this issue and is now striving to put motorcyclists on the board of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
“We have been representing the interests of the motorcycling community since Day 1 on this issue,” said Wayne Allard, AMA vice president of government relations. “We certainly recognize and appreciate the potential for improved safety as vehicles communicate while in operation. But we want to ensure that the detection and response sensors and software can detect motorcyclists and respond appropriately.”
Recently, the DOT issued a proposed rule that would advance the deployment of connected vehicle technologies throughout the nation’s light-vehicle fleet. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking would enable vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology on all new light-duty vehicles, and thus enabling new crash-avoidance systems.
“This new technology could help motorcyclists immensely by alerting drivers of a rider’s presence as they prepare to make a left turn or approach a motorcycle from the rear,” Allard explains. “The AMA has submitted comments to the DOT and its National Highway Traffic Safety Administration since this technology first came to light. And we plan to work with the current administration, the incoming administration and Congress on these issues.”
The AMA also came up with a list of things to be considered when such systems will be deployed. For starters, the software and sensors must be designed to recognize motorcycles. Then, the communications systems implemented, whether Wi-Fi or other technology, must be secure from hackers. And finally, personal privacy must be protected, so the vehicle operators should have the option to turn off the signal to prevent unwanted tracking.
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