With just a few weeks remaining in the Biden Administration, the notoriously slow-moving National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is proposing voluntary safety guidelines for self-driving vehicles.
Safety advocates, frustrated by NHTSA's plodding pace, have been demanding tougher regulation of autonomous cars for years with little success. Finally, in the twilight of the Biden presidency, a voluntary program is apparently as far as it's willing to do.
Key Details
- Voluntary Program: Automakers and autonomous vehicle companies can enroll, requiring safety plans, crash reports, and independent safety assessments.
- No Mandatory Standards: The proposal does not include specific performance requirements, like sensor capabilities or low-visibility detection.
- Safety Concerns: Critics argue the plan lacks enforceable regulations, with some calling it ineffective and insufficient to ensure safety.
Future Implications
The next administration, led by President-elect Trump, may create its own guidelines. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, named to co-lead a “Department of Government Efficiency,” could influence standards despite Tesla’s stake in the industry.
NHTSA will accept public comments on the proposal for 60 days and aims to gather data to inform future regulations. The agency acknowledges a need for stricter standards in the future but lacks enough data to implement them now, it argues.
Currently the only safety standars autonomous vehicles have to meet are the same ones all others must adhere to. The voluntary program would require companies to have independent assessments of their automated vehicle safety processes, and they would have to report crashes and other problems.
Safety advocates not impressed
“This is a big bunch of nothing,” said Missy Cummings, director of the autonomy and robotics center at George Mason University and a former safety adviser to NHTSA, in an Insurance Journal report. “It’ll be more of a completely useless paperwork drill where the companies swear they’re doing the right thing.”
Other concerns raised by safety advocates included:
- Lack of Specific Standards: Critics argue the voluntary guidelines do not set minimum safety requirements for self-driving vehicles, leaving the public at risk.
- Inadequate Oversight: Advocates believe the plan relies too heavily on companies self-reporting their compliance, which could lead to inconsistent or insufficient safety practices.
- Uncertain Enforcement: The voluntary nature of the program is seen as a step back compared to mandatory regulations that apply to human-driven vehicles.
Safety advocates are urging NHTSA to consider mandatory rules to ensure autonomous vehicle technology is deployed responsibly and safely. They emphasize the need for enforceable standards to protect public safety as self-driving technology advances.