Rules on Rules
At the end of last week, Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao announced she had signed a “rule on rules” that will ensure the department’s regulations aren’t too complicated, out of date, or contradictory.
The new Transportation Department action formalized a Trump administration requirement that for each regulatory step a department takes, it has to undertake two deregulatory moves.
When it comes to investigating suspected wrongdoing and enforcing its regulations, the new rules also require the department “where feasible, foster greater private-sector cooperation in enforcement.”
“This effort enhances the Department’s regulatory process by providing greater transparency and strengthening due process in enforcement actions,” Chao said in a statement.
While in general, we applaud the move to streamline the rulemaking process and update outdated regulations, we are also wary of the impact this policy change may have on regulations related to autonomous vehicles. Currently, the government has been slow to roll out rules surrounding the deployment of autonomous vehicles, and this step by the Secretary may further curtail regulations surrounding so-called “self-driving cars.”
We at the MRF will continue to monitor the rulemaking process at the Department of Transportation and demand that Congress have a say in the deployment of these new vehicles to ensure that all road users are protected.
Final In-person MAC Meeting Held
On Tuesday, your MRF attended the final Motorcyclist Advisory Council (MAC) meeting at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The members of the council have been tasked with creating recommendations to advise the FHWA on areas concerning infrastructure and issues related to motorcyclist safety such as barrier design, road design, construction, maintenance practices and the implementation of the intelligent transportation system (ITS).
Mike Griffith, Director of Safety technologies with FHWA, advised the group that they should finalize all recommendations to be sent to the agency by the end of January at the request of the Secretary of Transportation. The Secretary of the DOT has been reviewing all of the agency’s advisory councils and their functions to ensure that any or all recommendations are properly reviewed and fit in with the new rules adopted by the DOT.
While the final draft is not complete at this time, we are pleased that the council carefully and thoughtfully addressed the issue that most of us motorcyclists would like to see addressed. You will be pleased to know that they addressed everything from utilizing high friction pavement in some curves, uneven pavement and drop-offs, road construction grooving, steel plates, tar snakes (tar seals), chips and seal paving to road barriers. Notably, the council is recommending that road designers consider adding motorcycle-specific road barriers like the ones that have been studied and implemented in Europe that prevent and reduced motorcyclists’ fatalities and serious injuries. |
