Originally Posted by
livedarklions
True, but it's not like there hasn't been a built-in lobby of manufacturers and advocates up to now. Always hard to know how the balance will tip in various states, but I'm not at all sure that anything coming out of a short-handed NTSB carries a lot of credibility with the state legislators. Also, this is a bit of an odd issue for the NTSB to weigh in on--their jurisdiction over bicycle safety issues is fairly incidental. Unless the bicyclist is hit by a train, on a highway or by a plane, they have no jurisdiction to investigate, and I don't think anyone who knows what they actually do would consider them likely to be expert in bicycle safety issues generally.
This would be a lot more important if it came out of an agency that administers federal funding to the states.
I've seen some strange things coming from our NC General Assembly. All it takes is for one representative to become a crusader after an injury to a constituent. I would like to think that most representatives are objective and reasonable; however I feel that may not always be the case.
The NTSB does seem to understand that the data for bicycle incidents is not well detailed.