By Tom Murphy
It's tempting to feel a sense of security on the road when considering all the driver-assistance technologies that are fast becoming standard equipment, from lane-keeping and blind-spot warning to automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control. While those features are among the building blocks for autonomous vehicles and have logged millions of real-world miles on American roads, the sad truth is sobering.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, 39,254 people died in US car crashes in 2024 and another 2.4 million were injured. The agency estimates more than 36,000 fatal car wrecks in 2025.
A key argument for autonomous vehicles is that they will be safer, will obey traffic rules, will improve mobility for the elderly and disabled, won't drive drunk, and won't speed or take unnecessary risks. But according to the Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a non-profit Washington lobbying organization, much work needs to be done because there are no federal motor vehicle safety standards specific to autonomous vehicles.
The organization released the results of an online survey done last month to take the public's pulse on autonomous passenger vehicles and heavy-duty trucks and the need to regulate them. And the results are interesting to say the least.
Bikers Deserve Protection
“Americans are calling for common sense safety protections that address the risks they face on our roads every day,” said Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. “That means minimum federal safety standards for AVs, stronger requirements for automatic emergency braking (AEB) systems to protect pedestrians, bicyclists and motorcyclists, state laws to stop dangerous repeat speeding and reckless driving offenders, and better safeguards for sharing the road with large trucks."
Big Village surveyed 2,023 adults online from March 4-8, and interviews were weighted by age, sex, geographic region, race, and education to reflect the US adult population.
"Leaders at all levels of government should treat these poll results as a clear mandate to act.”
–Cathy Chase
While all cars sold in the US starting in 2029 will be required to have automatic emergency braking, the mandate applies to protecting pedestrians but does not mention motorcycle or bicycle riders. Advocates support extending that protection to "vulnerable road users" through the Magnus White and Safe Streets For Everyone Act (H.R. 7353) sponsored by Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and Joe Neguse (D-CO). The poll found 73% of respondents support requiring AEB to also protect bicyclists and motorcyclists. Separately, an AEB mandate for heavy trucks was included in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, but the rulemaking process has not been completed.
Source: Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
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This article originally appeared on CarBuzz and is republished here with permission.
