NHTSA TO HOLD PUBLIC MEETINGS ON AUTONOMOUS VEHICLES

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that it will hold a pair of public meetings to gather input as it develops guidelines for automated vehicle technology. The meetings, to be held in Washington, D.C. and California, will seek to gather information on several issues related to the safe operation of automated vehicles. The meetings are part of the NHTSA’s efforts to provide manufacturers with operational guidance as they develop self-driving cars, one of the five autonomous vehicle initiatives announced by the NHTSA earlier this year at the North American Auto Show. The agency also released an initial assessment of existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards that identifies key challenges to the full deployment of automated vehicles. The report found that while there are few existing regulatory hurdles to deployment of automated vehicles with traditional designs, vehicle designs without controls for human drivers, such as a steering wheel or brake pedals, may encounter greater obstacles. The first public meeting will be held on April 8 at the  USDOT Headquarters in Washington, D.C.  Information concerning the second meeting in California, as well as how members of the public can participate, will be released soon.