The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has unveiled a new action plan.

The plan is designed to guide the agency's policy on motorcycle safety over the coming years.

There would appear to be a greater emphasis on accident prevention as opposed to injury reduction, that’s encouraging. However, we may not be pleased with some of these “accident prevention” measures.

The 13-page document describing the plan includes a large number of generalized strategies and a few specific courses of action. There are three areas of countermeasure strategies in the plan - Vehicle and Equipment, Behavioral, and Infrastructure. The two main specific courses of action referenced in the plan are in the areas of, Vehicle and Equipment.

A UN global technical regulation (GTR) on motorcycle braking has been developed and NHTSA wants to include it in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. (FMVSS) The agency anticipates publishing a proposed rule in FY 2008 and a final rule shortly after.

NHTSA plans on “amending FMVSS No. 218, Motorcycle Helmets, to address the falsification of helmet certifications facilitated by the current labeling requirements of the motorcycle helmet standard. This change will enhance State helmet enforcement and adjudication efforts.” They want to address the use of unapproved or novelty helmets in states with helmet laws.  A Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will be published in early FY 2008 and the final rule is expected later in the year.

NHTSA also wants to improve motorcycle lighting and the United Nations’ (UN) 1998 Global Agreement for the Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations provides for a working group on vehicle lighting. However they haven’t yet developed a GTR for motorcycles.

Some of the language in the plan indicates there "MAY" be a need for us to watch how section 2010 motorcycle safety grants are being used.

During the passage of the last major highway funding bill (TEA-LU) motorcyclists pushed for and got the creation of Section 2010, motorcycle safety grant funds. It was our intent, and the resulting letter of the law, that these funds only be used for rider ed and motorcycle awareness programs.

It does appear that NHTSA will continue to walk the tightrope between providing requested information, which is allowed, and lobbying the states, which is prohibited, for mandatory helmet laws. The following was taken from the “action plan”:

“NHTSA and FHWA (Federal Highway Administration ) Research Offices have a variety of motorcycle projects underway that will provide the states, safety groups and motorcycle riders with the information needed to reduce motorcycle deaths, injuries and crashes. These projects focus on alcohol-impaired riding, motorcycle operator experience, the benefits of rider safety training, increased helmet use (including universal helmet laws), and crash causation.”

A big increase in NHTSA’s involvement in motorcycle awareness programs is in the works. They’ve already begun producing materials for use by states and organizations.

NHTSA is going to take a hard look at rider ed and licensing practices. They plan on making recommendations for standardizing both. We really won’t know if that’s a positive or a negative until we see those recommendations.

The plan includes some promising things in regards to infrastructure, making roads more motorcycle friendly. Most of this is coming out of MAC - FHWA (Motorcyclist Advisory Council) The creation of MAC - FHWA is something motorcyclists managed to have congress include in TEA-LU, the most recent major highway funding bill.