Quote:
Originally Posted by GrussGott
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The operant wording in the FR, so fully expect approval:
We have tentatively determined that the proposal to permit ADB and subject it to requirements and test procedures would lead to greater benefits than maintaining the status quo in which ADB is not deployed. The anticipated benefits are a decrease in fatalities and injuries associated with crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists, animals, and roadside objects due to the improved visibility provided by ADB. The improved visibility is a result of increased upper beam use and an enhanced lower beam. Although it is difficult to estimate these benefits, NHTSA performed a data analysis to explore how driving in better light conditions affects pedestrian and cyclist fatalities. The analysis focused on pedestrian/cyclist fatalities and injuries under various light conditions and explored the correlation between pedestrian/cyclist fatalities and injuries with light conditions, as well as several other risk factors (location, speed limit, alcohol use, and driver distraction). The analysis used data from the Agency's Fatality Analysis Reporting System and the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimate System. These databases contain detailed information on crashes involving fatalities and injuries, respectively, including information on the conditions under which the crashes occurred. This analysis suggests that the size of the target population—pedestrian and cyclist fatalities that occur in darkness—is 15,065 over 11 years or 1,370 per year. This analysis is discussed in more detail in Appendix A. The Agency tentatively concludes this analysis demonstrates that a properly-functioning ADB system could provide significant safety benefits beyond that provided by existing headlighting systems.[133]