Skip to main content

Automakers, US DOT agree on cybersecurity

The US Transportation Department and 17 automakers have reached agreement on efforts to enhance safety, including sharing information to thwart cyber-attacks on their increasingly wired vehicles, says Bloomberg. Companies including General Motors, Ford and Toyota also agreed to reform the way they report fatalities, injuries and warranty claims to the government. The companies are to meet regularly to exchange information and identify emerging safety issues. “Today DOT and the automakers represented h
January 19, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The US Transportation Department and 17 automakers have reached agreement on efforts to enhance safety, including sharing information to thwart cyber-attacks on their increasingly wired vehicles, says Bloomberg.

Companies including 948 General Motors, 278 Ford and 1686 Toyota also agreed to reform the way they report fatalities, injuries and warranty claims to the government. The companies are to meet regularly to exchange information and identify emerging safety issues.

“Today DOT and the automakers represented here are taking a strong stance in favour of a new approach, an approach that leans heavily on being proactive and less heavily on being reactive,” US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in Detroit Friday at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Company executives, including General Motors chief executive officer Mary Barra and 1674 Fiat Chrysler Automobiles chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne had met with Foxx in Washington in December. The transportation secretary asked the companies to come up with voluntary measures they could agree to outside the traditional regulatory framework.

The companies and regulators have agreed to suggest best practices on cybersecurity, share lessons learned and find ways to engage researchers to identify emerging threats. They will work with the information sharing and analysis centre established by the auto industry last year.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Detroit introduces unified bus payment system
    August 15, 2019
    Detroit authorities have launched a ticketing scheme to encourage bus ridership – a new venture which dovetails with existing initiatives to improve mobility, Ben Spencer reports The Detroit Department of Transportation (DDoT) has partnered with the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) to launch a unified payment system – called Dart - for the US region’s buses. Detroit’s mayor Mike Duggan says: “Dart will bring our two systems closer together with seamless transfers and more f
  • V2X: The design challenges
    May 2, 2018
    The connected future throws up a number of enticing possibilities for us all. But, says Houman Zarrinkoub of MathWorks, issues around visualisation, prototyping and model evolution need to be examined carefully. We are all aware of the huge amount of investment going into driverless car technologies. With the likes of Volvo, Tesla and BMW getting in on the act, soon they will be a common sight on our roads. However, for this to occur, the vehicles must be able to connect with each other and ensure driver
  • Sharing resources, reducing traffic management costs
    January 25, 2012
    Telematics Technology’s Peter Billington, Chair of the UTMC ANPR Working Group, on how common protocols can enhance local agency cooperation and significantly reduce costs
  • Need for standardisation of toll classes
    March 2, 2012
    In a previous article Bob Lees of Idris Technology Ltd looked at the appropriateness of toll classes in relation to all-electronic toll fee collection. Here, he looks at how addressing classification standardisation could avoid downstream aggravation and cost