Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation
("DOT") steered into a new direction that may accelerate
the development of self-driving technologies. The DOT's
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration ("NHTSA"),
in an effort to modernize Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards
("FMVSS"), issued a notice of proposed rulemaking on Tuesday
seeking to ease certain safety requirements for Automated Driving
Systems ("ADS").
NHTSA's Goal to Change Regulations that Hinder
Innovation
NHTSA's goals with the proposal were outlined in a
statement from Acting Administrator James Owens. Acting
Administrator Owens said, "With more than 90 percent of
serious crashes caused by driver error, it's vital that we
remove unnecessary barriers to technology that could help save
lives. . . . We do not want regulations enacted long before the
development of automated technologies to present unintended and
unnecessary barriers against innovation and improved highway
safety."
