Automakers and technology companies are racing to develop vehicles that can drive themselves at least part of the time, but they have complained that state and federal safety rules impede the process.
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A self-driving Ford Fusion hybrid auto is test driven, August 18, 2016, in Pittsburgh.
USDOT also issued a statement in which it called for automakers to conform to new voluntary guidelines whereby they would agree to safety assessments before their new vehicles were used on the nation’s roadways.
Gloria Bergquist, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, a trade group representing major automakers, said in a statement that the government’s goal should be to “avoid policies that become outdated and inadvertently limit progress in reducing the number of crashes and saving lives”.
Obama unveiled a new policy for the technology which is being worked on by several major companies, from Apple and Google to Volvo and Ford, that he said “were flexible and created to evolve with new advances” but would protect public safety.
Officials spoke to reporters ahead of a news conference scheduled for Tuesday at which they plan to provide greater detail of their guidance to automakers and states, as well as new powers and resources that the NHTSA may require. Anthony Foxx is the US Transportation Secretary. It’s also a move to wrest control from states that have, until now, been able to implement their own regulations for autonomous vehicles with no direct federal oversight. Federal regulators have already said that self-driving systems can be considered a driver, but they still need to agree a way for them to be tested. “As the Department charged with protecting the traveling public, we recognize three realities that necessitate this guidance”.
Business Insider published an article this summer in which it noted that by the year 2020, there will be 10 million self-driving cars on the road.
The proposed guidelines set a 15-point safety assessment, which requires autonomous vehicle manufacturers to submit a notice to the DOT stating their autonomous vehicles meet certain specifications regarding crashworthiness, individual privacy, cybersecurity, safety systems, privacy, data recording, ethics and more.
This new policy, meanwhile, focuses primarily on highly automated vehicles-those that do not require a human behind the wheel-but also touches on lower levels, including the driver-assistance systems now being deployed. “Through a series of next steps and in response to public comments, DOT intends to update the policy annually”. There will also be ways to eliminate steering wheels and brake pedals, so long as companies can demonstrate to NHTSA that they’ve evaluated their systems for safety. Federal government will set standards and order recalls of risky and unsafe vehicles. And make no mistake: If a self-driving vehicle isn’t safe, we have the authority to pull it off the road.
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While the framework was expected to cede to state rules, the feds are calling for uniform regulations.
