NHTSA Proposes National Program for Vehicles with Automated Driving Systems
Photo by Austin Weber
WASHINGTON—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has proposed a voluntary national framework for the evaluation and oversight of certain vehicles equipped with automated driving systems (ADS).
The ADS-equipped Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation Program (AV STEP) would establish a voluntary review and reporting framework for participating ADS-equipped vehicles. The program would be open to all companies that operate or plan to operate compliant ADS-equipped vehicles on public roads, as well as those requiring NHTSA exemptions to operate non-compliant vehicles.
“AV STEP would provide a valuable national framework at a pivotal time in the development of ADS technology,” says Adam Raviv, chief counsel at NHTSA. “Safe, transparent and responsible development is critical for this technology to be trusted by the public and reach its full potential. This proposal lays the foundation for those goals and supports [our] safety mission.
According to Ravid, this enhanced transparency would promote the responsible development of ADS technology, as well as offer a way for vehicle manufacturers, operators, municipalities, researchers and policymakers to benefit from greater opportunities for public awareness and accelerated learning into the technology. Under AV STEP, NHTSA’s assessment of an application would be informed by the views of an independent third-party assessor.
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