The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked for public comment on its plan for vehicle safety priorities in 2002-2003, including several truck-related projects.

One priority is to shorten stopping distances and improve braking of heavy duty trucks. The agency noted that longer stopping distances than light vehicles increase the chance of collisions in panic stopping situations and that truck brake performance has been identified as a major factor in crashes involving large trucks.
NHTSA and several manufacturers are currently looking at electronic controlled braking systems (ECBS) which would replace the current pneumatic brake application signal with an electronic actuation signal. The major issue, the agency said, is to identify what performance requirements should be established in FMVSS No. 121 to ensure a minimum requirement for stopping capabilities and fail-safe performance. Research is expected to be completed in 2003, with a rulemaking decision expected that same year.
In the nearer term, rulemaking revisions to FMVSS No. 121 include final regulatory action identifying performance requirements for ABS on straight trucks and buses, which the agency hopes to have finalized this year.
NHTSA will also look at increasing foundation brake capacity and improving tractor-trailer brake compatibility. It said it hopes to pursue a rulemaking to improve heavy truck tire performance, including upgraded FMVSS 119 requirements and the required use of tire pressure monitoring systems on commercial vehicles over 10,000 pounds GVWR. Following a recommendation by the National Transportation Safety Board, NHTSA is conducting related research on the safety benefits of adding traction control to antilock brake systems.
Another priority is the reduction of heavy vehicle tire failures, possibly using tire pressure monitoring systems or blowout resistant tires. NHTSA is targeting 2003 for a proposed rule regarding upgrade requirements for heavy truck tires. A decision on tire pressure warning systems for heavy trucks would come in 2003 or 2004.
Next year NHTSA also hopes to conclude research and field testing of drowsy driver sensing systems that would alert drivers before they fell asleep at the wheel. “Although the vast majority (95.5%) of drowsy driver crashes involved drivers of passenger vehicles, drowsiness played a role in a disproportionally high number of truck crashes,” the agency noted. “In addition, the role of drowsiness in crashes may be largely underestimated due to unreported off-roadway crashes, police inability to verify drowsiness, and driver reporting error.”
NHTSA hopes to establish performance specification requirements for drowsy sensing systems for heavy trucks by 2005, possibly adding performance requirements for car systems later that year.
The plan can be found on NHTSA’s website, www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/rules/rulings. Comments are due Sept. 23, 2003, and can be submitted electronically at http://dms.dot.gov. Refer to docket number NHTSA-2002-12391.