FMCSA Study on Warning Devices for Stopped Trucks: What to Know
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has announced a Study of Warning Devices for Stopped Commercial Motor Vehicles. According to FMCSA, “It is an experimental study that requires data collection for evaluating whether warning devices meaningfully influence crash-relevant aspects of human performance in the presence of a parked or disabled commercial motor vehicle, and if so, how and to what extent.”
According to the notice published in the Federal Register, “…advances in automated driving system (ADS) technology have raised critical questions regarding potential barriers to regulatory compliance with warning device safety standards and regulations which reference or require a ‘‘driver.’’ In addition, alternative types of warning devices developed by industry, including those intended to increase driver safety during device deployment, have resulted in multiple applications for exemption from the corresponding safety regulations. These recent issues related to warning device requirements also call attention to the historically unresolved questions of whether the use of such devices improves traffic safety.”
During the study, FMCSA plans to use sensors that can precisely measure and record the location of vehicles, eye-tracking devices that allow the researcher to determine the precise moment when a driver first spots a warning device, and instrumented vehicles that record accurate, high-frequency data related to drivers’ interactions with a vehicle’s controls. These tests will be conducted on a closed-course driving research facility with 256 drivers participating. The intent is to gather data to support future rulemaking decisions.
Current regulations require that drivers deploy warning devices within 10 minutes of any stop other than a necessary traffic stop. There are regulations that stipulate the placement, design, and reflectivity of these devices.
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