The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is ordering Tesla And other automakers report accidents involving autonomous driving systems.
According to the Associated Press, the order will enable vehicle and equipment manufacturers and auto companies to issue notices of collisions involving fully automatic or semi-automatic vehicles. Since 2015, NHTSA has investigated 31 related accidents, of which 25 involved Tesla’s Autopilot system, and reported 10 fatal accidents.
NHTSA Acting Administrator Steven Cliff said in a statement: “By enforcing incident reports, the agency will be able to access critical data, which will help quickly identify possible occurrences in these automated systems. Security issues.”
When a car accident involving an autonomous driving system occurs, it must be reported within 24 hours.
For more reports from the Associated Press, please see below.
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NHTSA’s actions on Tuesday showed that the agency has taken a tougher stance on the safety of autonomous vehicles than in the past. It has been reluctant to issue any new technical regulations for fear of hindering the adoption of potentially life-saving systems.
The order requires reporting of accidents involving fully autonomous vehicles that occur on public roads, or accidents in which driving assistance systems are operating before or during the accident.
The agency said it will look for potential safety flaws, and this information may lead it to dispatch a collision investigation team or launch a flaw investigation.
Some autonomous driving assistance systems can keep the vehicle in the center of the lane and maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front.
Tesla and other manufacturers warn that drivers using these systems must be ready to intervene at any time. The Tesla car using this system smashed into the semi-intersection in front of them, blocking the emergency vehicle and the road barrier.
The agency is also investigating non-fatal accidents involving some automated systems in Lexus RX450H, Volvo XC-90 and two Cadillac CT6s. In addition, the team also investigated a collision involving an automatic Navya Arma low-speed shuttle and another Volvo XC90 operated by it. Uber One of the pedestrians was killed in Arizona.
The National Transportation Safety Board also investigated some of Tesla’s accidents and recommended that NHTSA and Tesla restrict the use of Autopilot to areas where it can be operated safely. The NTSB also recommended that NHTSA require Tesla to have a better system to ensure the driver’s attention. NHTSA has not yet taken action on any recommendations.
Jason Levine, executive director of the advocacy organization, the non-profit Automotive Safety Center, said that accident reporting is a welcome first step for NHTSA. For many years, the center has asked the agency to supervise self-driving cars.
“Collecting collision data, as well as data on collisions you hope to avoid, can help achieve a variety of purposes, from enforcing existing laws to ensuring consumer safety, and paving the way for the development of reasonable regulations to encourage the deployment of safe advanced vehicles,” Levin Said in an email.
If it involves hospital-treated injuries, deaths, airbag deployment, pedestrians or cyclists, or serious enough to be towed away, the company must report a collision involving fully automated or partially autonomous vehicles.
Other collision accidents involving vehicles equipped with the system must be reported once a month, involving personal injury or death or property damage. This requirement does not apply to consumers who own vehicles or car dealers.
NHTSA said in a statement that data can show whether there are common patterns in crashes involving systems.
Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press Photo
