New Federal Policy on Automated Vehicles
The U.S. Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have issued “version 2.0” of the Federal Automated Vehicle Policy, originally released in 2016. Automated Driving Systems: A Vision for Safety 2.0 is shorter and more streamlined than the original policy guidance. It contains voluntary guidance for manufacturers of Level 3-5 automated driving systems, and establishes best practices for state legislatures and highway safety officials in addressing automated driving systems. The voluntary guidance includes 12 “priority safety design elements” such as proper detection of and response to objects and events encountered while driving, vehicle cybersecurity, and post-crash behavior. The guidance also encourages manufacturers to publish a voluntary safety self-assessment to demonstrate how they address these safety design elements.
