Autonomous Driving – Need for a Unified National Regulation
Regulation, if overly bureaucratic, can be a drag on innovation. If done right, it can provide a unified national foundation and safety guardrails.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฆ ๐๐ฉย ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ
After decades of being the gold standard for vehicle safety/ADAS regulations, the NHTSA now finds itself in a catch-up mode regarding unified regulations for AV Level 4/5. In fact, the EU adopted the UN Regulation No. 157 (ALKS), for L3 automation in 2022. Yet, there is nothing equivalent so far in the US, despite Ford and GM promising to launch the tech soon.
๐๐ฐ/๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ด๐๐น๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป – ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐จ๐ก ๐๐๐ฆ ๐๐ง๐ฅ
NHTSA has nothing to offer while Waymo and Zoox are continuously posturing to scale up their robotaxi pilot, based on “self-certified” safety record. Meanwhile, the UNECE World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29)ย recently framed/adopted the new UN Global Technical Regulation on Automated Driving Systems (ADS GTR),ย as a new framework for L4 AVs.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ผ๐ฟ:
Interestingly, China was both an active co-author and a principal sponsor for ADS GTR. To put its stake in shaping the evolving AV regulations, China appears to have contributed its testing methodologies and other technical proposals, many of which found their way into the final GTR.
Perceived for years as a laggard in safety and ADAS regulation, China now finds itself as a co-architect of the harmonized international AV framework.
๐ ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ, ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐จ๐ฆ….
While NHTSA sponsored/participated in the Informal Working Group (IWG) on ADS, shaping the areas of safety assurance, there is no sign yet when it will bring them into a cohesive federal policy and rule.
๐ฅ๐ผ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐
๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐บ๐ฒ๐๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ถ๐๐ต ๐ณ๐ถ๐ฟ๐๐ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐
The recent incidents in San Francisco and elsewhere scream for changes in how robotaxis behave in traffic emergencies, often intruding into active police situations.
๐ They reinforce the need for ADS GTR-style universal framework in the US.
ย
NHTSAโs recent attempt to address robotaxis’ safety infraction in street emergencies is timely (see the article below). But, it remains to be seen if NHTSAโs letter to robotaxi operators has any real teeth in driving improved robotaxi behavior in various street emergencies.
It also remains to be seen if this leads NHTSA to a universal AV regulation. Interestingly, the new ADS GTR includes performance requirements for managing road emergencies and safe interaction with first responders.
๐๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ผ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฐ๐๐๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป? – DM me on LinkedIn or contact at pgmobility.com
#AV #technology #regulation #NHTSA #Waymo #safty #WP29 #autonomous