Skip to main content

NHTSA seeking comments on self-driving vehicle regulations

The National Highway Traffic-Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking for comments on how best to test and deploy self-driving vehicles in the Department of Transportation's October 2017 Significant Rulemaking Report. In the report, NHSTA seeks comments to identify any unnecessary regulatory barriers to Automated Safety Technologies, and for the testing and compliance certification of motor vehicles with unconventional automated vehicles designs. In addition, particularly those that are not equipped with
November 6, 2017 Read time: 1 min

The National Highway Traffic-Safety Administration (NHTSA) is looking for comments on how best to test and deploy self-driving vehicles in the Department of Transportation's October 2017 Significant Rulemaking Report.

In the report, NHSTA seeks comments to identify any unnecessary regulatory barriers to Automated Safety Technologies, and for the testing and compliance certification of motor vehicles with unconventional automated vehicles designs. In addition, particularly those that are not equipped with controls for a human driver; e.g., steering wheel, brake or accelerator pedal. Further, NHTSA seeks comments on the research that would be required to remove such barriers. This action will inform subsequent steps in the regulatory process to amend Federal motor vehicle safety standards and other motor vehicle regulations in order to safely lay a path for innovative automated vehicle designs and technology.

NHTSA will consider submitted comments in future amendments to federal motor vehicle safety standards and other rules related to self-driving technologies.

Related Content

  • P3s offer new options for public transit agencies
    March 28, 2018
    David Crawford welcomes new US guidance on public-private partnerships in the public transit sector. Public-private partnerships (P3s) are becoming increasingly favoured as a means of cost-effectively delivering much-needed public transit projects across the US. Previously, researched examples have tended to be on the large-scale while information on the potential for smaller, more localised schemes has been comparatively sparse. In a bid to fill that gap, the ‘Public Transportation Guidebook for Small
  • Surewise calls for mobility scooter update to Highway Code
    January 17, 2025
    'Unacceptable' that users are not already termed VRUs, insurer says
  • The benefit of Lidar: touch, don’t look
    September 28, 2020
    The benefits of Lidar as a safety device for automobiles rather than as an enabler for AVs are easy to overlook – but Dr Jun Pei of Cepton Technologies tells Adam Hill why that would be a big mistake
  • e-Call emergency service doesn't go far enough
    January 30, 2012
    eCall misses the point and is only a tacit acknowledgement that the road safety issue has not yet been adequately addressed, according to FEMA's Aline Delhaye. According to the Federation of European Motorcyclists' Associations (FEMA), the European Commission's (EC's) ambitions for eCall implementation are premature and fail to take account of all road users' needs or of technological progress elsewhere.