FMCSA to study whether warning triangles really prevent crashes

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced plans to study whether warning triangles placed near disabled commercial vehicles significantly contribute to crash reduction.

In a Notice to be published in the Federal Register on January 8, the FMCSA proposed “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 (PDCMV), and if so, how and to what extent.”

“Public interest in warning device requirements for PDCMVs has increased in recent years for several reasons. For example, 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 and, if so, how and to what extent,” the agency said.

Officials say that other factors in the decision to study the efficacy of warning devices include driver safety concerns while placing triangles, the availability of new technology and alternative types of warning devices, and modern research tools that can better determine whether the triangles impact human driver behavior.

The news about the study comes shortly after the FMCSA denied a request for exemption coming from driverless trucking companies Waymo and Aurora for relief from requirements to place specific types of warning devices due to the fact that placing triangles is “not feasible for autonomous CMVs without a human on board.”

The FMCSA will accept public comment on any aspect of the proposed study after the Notice is published in the Federal Register.