NHTSA Releases Report on Safety Standards for Self-Driving Cars

Many standard vehicle tests will have to be reconsidered and changed to accurately test autonomous vehicles, federal regulators warn.

A new federal report suggests current regulations for vehicle safety must be updated to account for more self-driving cars on American roads.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Vehicle Safety Research published its report earlier this month, warning that current vehicle and safety regulations, such as those for brake pedals and steering wheels, do not work for self-driving or fully autonomous vehicles.

Autonomous Vehicle Dangers

The research comes amid growing public concern over self-driving cars, as more autonomous vehicles operate on roads across the U.S. According to a recent Reuters survey, more than half of Americans still do not fully trust autonomous vehicles.

In addition, several investigations have been launched into self-driving cars, including accidents linked to Tesla’s “Smart Summon” feature as well as fatal incidents involving Ford’s BlueCruise system. In May, Amazon issued a recall for hundreds of self-driving robotaxis following a crash in Las Vegas.

An Australian study published in October concluded automated driving system abilities are often overestimated and not well understood by drivers. Researchers found that drivers of autonomous vehicles become slow to recognize hazards compared to hands-on drivers.

NHTSA Automated Vehicle Report

The new study is part four of a multi-year project conducted by the NHTSA and researchers from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.

The team examined 81 Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to determine how they could be applied to autonomous cars while not impeding vehicle design innovation.

Researchers identified what they described as unnecessary or unintended regulatory barriers facing self-driving vehicles, arguing that autonomous systems cannot be regulated in the same way as traditional cars. The report noted that vehicles such as those operated by Waymo, along with automated driving systems used by Tesla, rely on software rather than human drivers and may lack conventional controls like steering wheels or brake pedals, making existing regulatory frameworks a poor fit.

The report highlights a rapidly evolving car industry where the safety rules were historically developed with the assumption there would be a human driver. However, that is no longer the case for every vehicle.

To that end, NHTSA officials have determined there must be technical changes to safety standards and vehicle architecture rules. For example, alternative seating layouts could be used or traditional controls like steering wheels could be removed. Additionally, different passenger interfaces may be used, such as added screens.

The report identified changes to testing procedures, focusing on 23 regulations that should be updated or changed, including braking and electronic stability control. For example, a self-driving car cannot be tested on braking capabilities when the car is designed to avoid circumstances that would allow the test to be completed.

The agency said the multi-part report is a response to car manufacturers asking for clear rules that do not “block the development” of self-driving cars.

NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the report helps the agency “better understand how regulations can create barriers to new technologies,” including:

• Part 1 of the report focused on performance requirements and test procedures for self-driving vehicles. It highlighted six crash avoidance standards and six crashworthiness standards.
• Part 2 focused on 18 regulations, including nine crash avoidance standards and nine crashworthiness standards.
• Part 3 reviewed 11 crash avoidance standards and 15 crashworthiness standards for seating, as well as unconventional seating, such as rear-facing seats.

While no federal regulations have changed, the report is a first step in understanding how self-driving cars differ and may require different standards before NHTSA issues new regulations, according to the agency.

NHTSA also issued a Request for Comment for the public to submit their opinion on industry changes.

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