US guidance on autonomous vehicles updated

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released new federal guidance for the transition to autonomous vehicles. 

Automated Driving Systems (ADS): A Vision for Safety 2.0 is designed to encourage state and local governments to draft laws for autonomous driving and help manufacturers to build self-driving cars that have contingencies for event of system failures. Click here to view

“The new guidance supports further development of this important new technology, which has the potential to change the way we travel and how we deliver goods and services,” said US transportation secretary Elaine L Chao. “The safe deployment of automated vehicle technologies means we can look forward to a future with fewer traffic fatalities and increased mobility for all Americans. 

“In addition to safety, ADS technology offers important social benefits by improving access to transportation, independence and quality of life for those who cannot drive because of illness, advanced age or disability.”

A Vision for Safety 2.0 incorporates feedback received through public comments and Congressional hearings. It is designed to pave the way for the safe deployment of advanced driver assistance technologies by providing voluntary guidance that encourages best practices and prioritises safety. The document also provides technical assistance to States and best practices for policymakers.

In the introduction to the report, NHTSA claims that 94% of fatal crashes are the result of human error, and that autonomous drive systems have the potential to reduce that number significantly, saving tens of thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars of lost economic activity each year in the process.

The DOT and NHTSA conform that they are already planning for version 3.0 of the gudelines.