NTSB urges a review process be created for autonomous vehicles

© Shutterstock

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is urging federal regulators to create a review process in advance of automated test vehicles being permitted to operate on public roads.

The recommendation follows NTSB’s investigation of an Uber automated test vehicle’s fatal collision with a pedestrian on March 18, 2018, in Tempe, Ariz.

“Safety starts at the top,” Robert L. Sumwalt, NTSB chairman, said. “The collision was the last link of a long chain of actions and decisions made by an organization that unfortunately did not make safety the top priority.”

NTSB’s investigation found the immediate cause of the collision was the vehicle operator, who was distracted by her cell phone, but that there were contributing factors.

Uber Advanced Technologies Group’s (ATG) automated driving system detected the pedestrian 5.6 seconds before impact but failed to identify the object as a pedestrian.

Additionally, Uber lacked adequate safety risk assessment procedures, and ATG managers failed to provide appropriate oversight of the vehicle operators. The company also lacked sufficient procedures for addressing operators’ automation complacency.

The Arizona Department of Transportation’s insufficient oversight of automated vehicle testing and the pedestrian’s impairment did not contribute to the crash, the NTSB found.