Press Releases

WASHINGTON — Today, U.S. Representatives Larry Bucshon, M.D. (R-IN-08) and Bobby L. Rush (D-IL-01), members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced new legislation that would require the Department of Transportation to conduct a study evaluating how well crash-avoidance systems — the systems used by self-driving cars and other semi-autonomous vehicles already on our roads — accurately detect pedestrians, bicyclists, and other road users of different skin tones.  The legislation comes after a report from the Georgia Institute of Technology found that automated vehicles may be worse at detecting pedestrians with darker skin than those with lighter skin tones.  

“With nearly 80,000 miles of road in Indiana, it is vital that we ensure Hoosiers’ road-safety. The Crash Avoidance System Evaluation Act will bolster our understanding of how life-saving, crash-avoidance technologies can be better implemented into autonomous vehicles, while also ensuring their accuracy and effectiveness in detecting all pedestrians, bicyclists, and other road users. Autonomous vehicles must be as safe as possible for everyone, regardless of their skin tone,” said Dr. Bucshon.

“I have long supported the development of autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, but we have to be absolutely certain on a federal level that these vehicles are equipped to protect all Americans equally.  We must be very intentional about weeding out any sort of bias in our safety systems.  This bill will help ensure the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists, and wheelchair users of all skin tones on our streets.  I thank Congressman Bucshon for joining me in this important effort,” said Rep. Rush.  
 

The Crash Avoidance System Evaluation (CASE) Act (H.R. 2997) mandates that a study on the performance of crash avoidance systems at detecting and classifying pedestrians, bicyclists, and other vulnerable road users, including those with different skin tones that are representative of different racial and ethnic groups, be carried out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and submitted to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, within two years of the enactment of the bill into law.  “Crash avoidance systems” are defined as any system in a motor vehicle used to prevent or mitigate a crash, including systems using cameras, lidar, or radar.

The legislation is supported by groups including the Center for Auto Safety, the National Safety Council, and the League of American Bicyclists.  

“While advanced technology in new vehicles has begun to enhance protections for drivers and passengers, there has been an unacceptable increase in pedestrian and bicyclist deaths due to car crashes,” said Jason Levine, Executive Director, Center for Auto Safety. “There is extraordinary life-saving potential in crash avoidance systems, like forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, especially for vulnerable road users. Yet, it is imperative that regulators have the data to determine which systems are most effective at avoiding crashes both for people inside and outside of vehicles.  Congressman Rush and Congressman Bucshon’s CASE Act will help provide objective information to ensure that when this technology becomes a standard feature of all new vehicles, it can effectively spot everyone on the road and thus prevent unnecessary tragedies.”

“Technology holds promise to save lives on our roadways, and this is especially true to stop the increase in vulnerable road user fatalities on our roadways,” said Lorraine M. Martin, President and CEO of the National Safety Council and Chair of the Road to Zero Coalition. “These safety systems must be able to help all road users, and to that end, this research is foundational to ensuring bias-free systems.  Thank you, Congressman Rush and Congressman Bucshon, for your leadership on this issue.”

“Thousands of people biking, walking, or using a wheelchair are killed every year and thousands more are seriously injured by drivers in preventable car crashes,” said Bill Nesper, Executive Director of the League of American Bicyclists. “The Crash Avoidance System Evaluation Act would enhance our understanding of how technology can and is utilized in motor vehicles to save the lives of vulnerable road users. The League thanks Congressman Bobby Rush and Congressman Larry Bucshon for their leadership on this issue, and for ensuring that crash avoidance technology works for all people regardless of skin tone so that we learn about the strengths and weaknesses of technologies through proactive research rather than disparities in the people being injured or killed over time.”

The text of the Crash Avoidance System Evaluation Act is available HERE.