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Maybe there's an active hood component Important to note that the Biden admin proposed that for "vehicle models that receive an overall score of 21.6 (60 percent) or greater, the Agency will grant credit by providing a checkmark (or similar notation) on its website" So lack of info is bipartisan

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 13h

A quick search looks like they're pretty similar, within a hundred pounds or so depending on trim level

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 13h

It was referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee when it was introduced by @scanlon.house.gov but there's no other recorded actions It was reintroduced for the current Congress www.congress.gov/bill/119th-c... It was the top result for "pedestrian protection" when I searched

congress.gov

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 13h

The Kia EV9 did even better in EuroNCAP testing, but still failed to meet the US test criteria Also, please note how EuroNCAP has a picture of the vehicle and a picture representing the pedestrian crash rating of various parts along the leading edge of the vehicle while US NCAP has a check or X

https://www.euroncap.com/assessments/kia/ev9/1052/

https://www.nhtsa.gov/ratings-search?vymm=2027%20kia

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 13h

Not a bad guess, but this is specifically based on "tests [that] measure injury risks to the head, hips, legs, and knees using three impact scenarios: Child and adult headform impacts to the hood and windshield area Upper leg impacts to the hood's leading edge Full lower-limb impacts to the bumper

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 13h

The Kia EV6 was tested by EuroNCAP and was rated adequate based on their far more descriptive rating information www.euroncap.com/assessments/... The Telluride was not rated in Europe

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 13h

The level of information provided for each vehicle is pretty low Hard to understand why one failed and the other didn't Pretty counterintuitive

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 13h

Not related to this bill, but NHTSA recently published its first-ever pedestrian safety ratings They don't count towards the Star rating at all And somehow the Kia EV6 - low to the ground, sloped nose - failed while the Kia Telluride - big, blunt nose - passed www.nhtsa.gov/press-releas...

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 19h

Routines can be hard to break When transportation routines are disrupted, like by a road closure, it is a valuable opportunity to engage people and support a shift in routine Great to see the Portland Bureau of Transportation supporting biking and I hope this changes some routines

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 19h

Good info available here: www.abdynamics.com/solutions/nc... NCAP isn't standards, but can lead to widespread adoption China's testing regime absolutely blows the US testing out of the water in terms of the number of pedestrian-AEB tests

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 19h

"The 5-Star Safety Rating Program that Americans use when shopping for new passenger vehicles 'fails consumers' by not including collision-avoidance and other technology in the ratings and is approaching 'near irrelevance'" - National Transportation Safety Board in 2022 www.ntsb.gov/news/press-r...

ntsb.gov

Automobile Safety Rating System Is Failing Consumers

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 19h

I'm definitely not an expert on Chinese vehicle testing, but the Wikipedia entry for their New Car Assessment Program includes a 2014 article about their strategic plan to catch US and European testing by 2018 web.archive.org/web/20150405... US has just let our testing/standards wither over time

web.archive.org

C-NCAP requirements will catch up with Europe by 2018

China NCAP (C-NCAP) test protocols are catching up with Euro NCAP's on occupant protection. TRW engineers assess the evolution of C-NCAP requirements

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 20h

Great to see bike/ped improvements celebrated in Florida "Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements: Two 10-foot-wide shared-use paths along both sides of River Road to provide safer access and better connections to surrounding neighborhoods and community destinations." www.fdot.gov/info/co/news...

fdot.gov

ICYMI Governor Ron DeSantis Celebrates Completion of River Road Widening Project in Sarasota County

Today, Governor Ron DeSantis celebrated the completion of the $61 million River Road (State Road 777) widening project in Sarasota County.

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 20h

It also sounds like they're downplaying the ability of technology to provide a safety benefit in the short-term "it requires a long lead time for the [automotive] industry – between five and six years, if everything goes right" - comment by industry group that sued to delay pedestrian-AEB rule

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 20h

“People underestimate the breadth variation and the impact of all these traffic rules... when you kind of add this all up, it’s about 90,000 jurisdictions. So it is not an easy problem to solve” - safety engineer for Hyundai discussing automation aashtojournal.transportation.org/aashto-safet...

aashtojournal.transportation.org

AASHTO Journal - AASHTO Safety Summit: Boosting Vehicle Safety

Two separate sessions at the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials 2026 Safety Summit and Peer Exchange in Hartford, CT, delved into how a variety of new technologies are ...

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Nice coverage of #WeekWithoutDriving in Roanoke www.wsls.com/news/local/2... Great collaboration between my local bike org, PedalSafe ROA, and the Bus Riders of Roanoke Advocacy Group (BRRAG) Appreciate that our Mayor and a city council candidate are participating!

wsls.com

Week Without Driving challenges Roanoke residents to rethink how they get around

What does Roanoke look like when you stop driving?

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Great to see this $15.63 million USDOT RAISE grant moving forward in York, Nebraska The grant will improve bicycling and walking with ~9 new miles of trails and an overpass of I-81 Preliminary project plans call for a cycletrack, which I hope USDOT hasn't killed dot.nebraska.gov/media/2xpmjz...

Image from preliminary project plans at https://cityofyork.ne.gov/project-access-york/

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Data from the National Household Travel Survey shows that about 40% of trips in the United States are trips of 3 miles or less That's very bikeable distance, even easier with an e-bike Current infrastructure makes many people scared to bike in the US, but the opportunity is huge

Data from https://nhts.ornl.gov/vehicle-trips

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

"The thing that makes a bike lane 'equitable' is that most people can afford a bike even if they can’t afford a car" "the transportation we needed was there all along, just waiting to get better. A bike is magic, and an e-bike is a bike without hills and showers. That’s enough miracle for now."

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Currently, 30 school districts in Kansas are participating in Walk and Roll to School Day on Oct. 7 www.ksdot.gov/Home/Compone... Great to see the Kansas DOT support this annual event with free materials, including flyers, banners, fact sheets and more

Communities registered for Walk and Roll to School Day in Kansas from https://saferoutes.ksdot.gov/kwrsd

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

"As of August 2024, the [Texas DOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Count Exchange] included 944 stations" www.txdot.gov/content/dam/... The 16 county region covered by NCTCOG, including Dallas and Fort Worth with ~8.7 million people, had over 100 count locations Take that Glasgow! 🙃

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Each of the fatal crashes, serious injury crashes, and hundreds of crashes discussed also caused delays I'd argue the worst type of delay - unforeseen, potentially prolonged, maybe even necessitating detours Redesign delays, on the other hand, are foreseeable and people can adjust expectations

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

"Founded in Reykjavik in 2011, Lauf used to assemble its bikes in Taiwan. It moved to the US because America is the world’s biggest market for gravel bikes, and direct-to-consumer shipping from Taiwan wasn’t cheap" I love my Lauf and hope they can stay in Virginia

My Lauf gravel bike packed for a solo ride along the Greater Alleghany Passage and C&O Canal Trail in 2024

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

"The Congressional Bike Caucus last year introduced a bill that would suspend for 10 years tariffs on imported bike components so long as they’re used to assemble bicycles in the US" "Assembly will lead to manufacturing. It incentivizes supply chain reshoring" - @mikethompson.house.gov

bsky.app

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

"nearly all the parts that go into a Lauf bike... come from abroad. Each faces its own tariff. In most cases, there are no US-made replacements available" "a bicycle built overseas can still sell for less in the US than one made here, once all the tariffs and wage disparities are factored in"

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The only thing I've heard that our nation's vehicle regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is doing related to e-motos is creating a guide for law enforcement to distinguish between e-bikes & e-motos It's been very slow and I don't know when it comes out

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The federal government is dropping the ball so hard on e-bike and e-moto regulation There are many ways they could step in and use existing regulatory power to address the sale and safety of e-motos Their lack of action makes it harder for states and communities to regulate

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

"a Class 2 e-bike... is limited to 20 miles per hour, and it is limited to 750 watts. The problem is because those exist and because we are so used to seeing them, other manufacturers can sell the same thing and then advertise it's 1,500 watts, it's 3,000 watts" - Seth Alvo from Berm Peak

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

"Anything that can go over 20 [mph] when powered by the motor under federal law is considered a motor vehicle... The importer has to be registered with the federal government [and] certify that their vehicle is safe... None of those things are happening" - Matt Moore @peopleforbikes.bsky.social

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Actual projects funded by federal funding for biking and walking just don't align with the administration's caricature that it is motivated by the idea that "everyone should ride a bike to their shoebox-sized apartment to eat crickets to achieve a phony climate agenda" www.npr.org/2026/07/23/n...

npr.org

DOT cranks up its campaign to strip bike lane references from federal websites

Transportation officials have removed a growing list of safety materials that mention bike lanes from federal websites. Safety advocates warn that's undermining proven measures for reducing crashes.

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

The single largest grant is $1.3 million for sidewalks in Chester, Vermont which has a population of ~3,000 It looks like it will improve/extend a sidewalk in a historic district This is what federal funding for biking and walking actually funds

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Congratulations to the 18 communities in Vermont receiving federal and state funds for projects that improve bicycling and walking Mostly sidewalks and shared use paths, with a few crosswalk and lighting improvements www.mynbc5.com/article/bicy...

mynbc5.com

Vermont towns, cities to receive $6 million in Bicycle and Pedestrian grants

The Vermont Agency of Transportation will award more than $6 million in grants to Vermont cities and towns to help build new bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure projects.

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The NHTSA vehicle comparison tool doesn't include NHTSA's first ever pedestrian crash rating It's hard to even engage with this program because of how little good information it provides Ford get 5-stars for 2/3 categories, no data for 3 safety technologies, and fails 3 others = 5-stars!

Example of comparison of two 5-star-rated vehicles

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

This chart is a spurious correlation because the model years of vehicles involved in fatal crashes are older than the model years tested But, it captures the dramatic rise in 5-star ratings that coincided with a dramatic rise in bike/ped deaths www.datawrapper.de/_/ciuCT/

datawrapper.de

America's 5-Star Vehicle Safety Ratings and Deaths of Bicyclists and Pedestrians | Created with Datawrapper

The average model year of a vehicle involved in a fatal crash during this time period between ranged from ~2001 to 2013.

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website prominently says "More stars mean safer cars" but last year 86% of vehicles got 5 stars while it is an open secret that large vehicles with high blunt hoods are less safe for people outside cars www.datawrapper.de/_/Cp57P/?v=3

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I want to be able to celebrate the US finally incorporating pedestrian crashworthiness - something the UN addressed in 1998 - but the NCAP information is so underwhelming and there's no meaningful impact of the pass/fail Some examples from a previous thread: bsky.app/profile/kenm...

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Good suggestions by @schmangee.bsky.social For suggestion #2, "Regulate grille heights — or at least require front cameras if not" this video covers the topic of grill heights and was suggested to me at a transportation conference in DC www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpuX...

youtube.com

The Grille Trend that Kills 509 People per Year

YouTube video by FortNine

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Honestly, I dare people to find this information by searching NHTSA's vehicle rating website www.nhtsa.gov/ratings It's not available on every new vehicle rated The search itself is terrible And the rating is a pass/fail that tells you almost nothing

nhtsa.gov

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"just last week for the first time NHTSA unveiled its first ever pedestrian safety rankings for cars [but] the new rating is a half measure at best. Instead of making pedestrian impacts part of the well known “five-star” rating system... NHTSA created this dumb little side measure" So frustrating

Pass/fail rating for pedestrian protection by NHTSA: https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/first-ever-pedestrian-safety-test-results

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I'm somewhat skeptical generally of simulator studies In this case, I think the physical feeling of going over a rumble strip may be hard to replicate in a simulator and I could see drivers not reacting as they would in real life A little surprising to me that they see a passing law effect

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

I've seen research/heard theories that centerline can lead to drivers going faster because they have less uncertainty and maybe less fear of oncoming traffic So, a centerline rumble strip may reinforce that and lead to greater crash severity if people are going faster

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

TBH it's a little unclear to me, the theory I hear from cyclists is that a centerline rumble strip means drivers are less likely to cross it Their observed data doesn't have a huge sample Their simulator data doesn't confirm anecdotes about drivers not crossing the line

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"observed regional differences in lateral distances are attributable in part to the differences in statutes. States are strongly encouraged to revise their statutes to require greater quantified minimum lateral distances when vehicles pass bicyclists on high-speed two-lane roads"

Map from https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/APBLG/1/

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"[Centerline rumble strips with shoulder rumble strips(CLRS+SRS)] with sufficient paved shoulder for bicyclists had no statistically significant effect on crash severity" "It is important that agencies strive to install CLRS+SRS on rural high-speed two-lane roadways to maximize safety"

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

"When compared with no rumble strips, [Centerline rumble strips] (with narrow or no paved shoulder) increased the odds of higher crash severity... [Centerline rumble strips] had the second-highest impact following the presence of alcohol or drugs." www.nationalacademies.org/read/29507/c...

nationalacademies.org

Read

Read chapter 7 Summary of Findings: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) seeks to eliminate roadway deaths and serious injuries (FHWA, 2025). Achie...

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"despite a reduction in U.S. traffic fatalities over the last four years... bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities, which accounted for 21 percent of all U.S. traffic fatalities in 2025, increased by eight percent from 2020 to 2025"

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

“[We need] take a more comprehensive and proactive approach to safety – one that recognizes human error, anticipates risk and builds layers of protection into our roads, vehicles and transportation system” - AASHTO President Russell McMurry aashtojournal.transportation.org/trip-report-...

aashtojournal.transportation.org

AASHTO Journal - TRIP Report: U.S. Traffic Fatalities Continue to Decline

According to a new report by nonprofit research firm TRIP, U.S. traffic fatalities fell in 2025 for the fourth straight year after increasing dramatically in 2020 and 2021 during the initial stages of...

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

"drivers save 26 seconds daily speeding" So much anxiety and danger from drivers trying to get slightly ahead www.codot.gov/news/2026/se...

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Ken McLeod @kenmcld.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Repealing efficiency standards that already had their compliance costs zeroed out as gas prices are increasing just seems like a great example of policymaking not being responsive to people's needs

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