CHER! austos CO-CHAIR, DEMOCRAT STEERING AND nouns | Congress of the Cited States erst ane ree House of Representatives “naa Washington, BE 20515-1317 September 28, 2022 The Honorable Ann Carlson Acting Administrator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, D.C. 20590 Dear Administrator Carlson, | write today to encourage the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to include strong performance metrics as it begins to implement crash avoidance technology provisions within the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (Pub.L. 117-58). Following the tragic deaths of several state troopers in Illinois in 2019, I joined Senators Durbin and Duckworth in introducing the Protecting Roadside First Responders Act, a bill that would require the Department of Transportation (DOT) to implement rules establishing minimum performance standards for crash avoidance technologies ~ such as Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB), lane departure warnings and lane-keeping assistance ~ and mandating that these technologies be included on all new motor vehicles. Through our efforts, these life-saving provisions were included in Section 24208 of the bipartisan infrastructure law, IITA. Recent testing by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has found that while AEB systems are effective at reducing pedestrian crashes and injuries in the instance of a crash, these systems do not carry the same risk reduction benefits in unlit areas at night. This deficiency is especially of concem in rural and less populated areas, which often feature less road lighting than more urban settings. As your ageney works to craft rules related fo crash avoidance technology, I urge NHTSA to consider performance metrics that consider technology effectiveness in varied levels of light, including unlit roads at nighttime. Additionally, as these rules are developed and implemented, | encourage NHTSA to work with manufacturers and safety stakeholders to ensure that consumers are well-informed about the effectiveness of new safety technologies through the New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Although these technologies are and will continue to be critical in avoiding preventable deaths and injuries, they do not serve as a substitution for aware and alert driving | applaud the work that NHTSA has already done to push the industry forward on crash avoidance technologies, such as negotiating voluntary commitments from auto manufacturers to implement these systems and including AEB requirements as a key component of the 2022National Roadway Safety Strategy. I look forward to continuing to work with you as ILJA is implemented, Sincerely, Cheri Bustos Member of Congress