In a historic first step towards modernization, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its plan to update numerous Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards surrounding cars with automated driving systems.
The Notice of proposed rulemaking will show how the department will adapt safety requirements to autonomous cars. Rules such as requiring autonomous cars to be designed with manual driving controls are outdated and no longer necessary, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao said.
“This proposal seeks public comment on the Department’s efforts to improve safety and update rules that no longer make sense, such as requiring manual driving controls on autonomous vehicles,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao.
The department proposed that in cases where a car has no steering wheel, the driver’s seat should have the same frontal passenger protection requirements as the passenger seat. In cars with no occupant seating space, such as occupant-less delivery vehicles, the proposal seeks to clarify the applicability of occupant protections standards.
“With more than 90 percent of serious crashes caused by driver error, it’s vital that we remove unnecessary barriers to technology that could help save lives,” said Acting Administrator James Owens. “We do not want regulations enacted long before the development of automated technologies to present an unintended and unnecessary barrier against innovation and improved highway safety.”