The NHTSA seeks public consultation concerning automated vehicles Event

On 28 May 2019 the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) proposed a rule ‘Removing Regulatory Barriers for Vehicles With Automated Driving Systems’ and is seeking public comment on the near- and long-term challenges of testing and verifying compliance with existing crash avoidance (100-series) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSSs) for Automated Driving System-Dedicated Vehicles (ADS-DVs) that lack traditional manual controls necessary for a human driver to maneuver the vehicle and other features intended to facilitate operation of a vehicle by a human driver, but that are otherwise traditional vehicles with typical seating configurations.

The document details the barriers posed by the existing crash avoidance standards and the types of test methods that could be employed to test automated vehicles. This initiative is part of the agency’s plans to develop a new strategy to update safety standards for automated vehicles while dealing with possible regulatory. The deadline for public comments is 29 July 2019