New Guidelines for Autonomous Vehicles
Posted on Jan 15, 2016 in Industry News | Comments Off on New Guidelines for Autonomous Vehicles
The federal government has announced its intention to support the development of autonomous vehicle technology with new guidelines and nearly $4 billion in funding. At the North American International Auto Show, the Transportation Secretary stated that the administration expected to issue regulatory guidelines for autonomous vehicles within six months. The guidance would focus on the...
US Regulators Seek To Upgrade Crash Safety Ratings and Test Dummies
Posted on Dec 10, 2015 in Industry News, Insurance Regulation, Technology Impacting Auto Insurance | Comments Off on US Regulators Seek To Upgrade Crash Safety Ratings and Test Dummies
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) has recently proposed to update its five-star crash-test rating system to account for changes in technology. The proposal was motivated in part by an increase in highway fatalities—despite a general decrease in such deaths over the past decade, the fatality rate rose by 8.1% in the first half of 2015. The NHTSA proposal...
Google’s Autonomous Vehicles: Slow Speeds, Adapting to Emergency Situations, and a Minor Accident
Posted on Dec 9, 2015 in Industry News, Technology Impacting Auto Insurance | Comments Off on Google’s Autonomous Vehicles: Slow Speeds, Adapting to Emergency Situations, and a Minor Accident
As the development of Google’s driverless car progresses, the company recently reported on topics such as its slow speed, it’s reaction to emergency signals, and accident updates. First, one of the vehicles was stopped by police last month for driving too slowly (24 mph in a 35 mph zone). Google explained that although the self-driving car can go faster, slower speeds both assist the...
Hearing on Vehicle Cybersecurity Standards
Posted on Nov 20, 2015 in Insurance Regulation | Comments Off on Hearing on Vehicle Cybersecurity Standards
The House subcommittees on Information Technology and Transportation and Public Assets have recently addressed vehicle security. In a November 18 hearing, members of Congress questioned a regulator from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration about progress on developing cybersecurity standards for connected vehicles, and noted that NHTSA had not created such standards...
Areas for Compromise on House and Senate Transportation Bills
Posted on Nov 9, 2015 in Insurance Regulation | Comments Off on Areas for Compromise on House and Senate Transportation Bills
The House of Representatives and the Senate have passed transportation bills and now must negotiate a compromise bill that can be signed by the President. Some of these differences affect manufacturers. For example, the House bill provides some protection from liability for failure to follow National Highway Traffic Safety Administration guidelines; requires steps to ensure access to...
