- The NHTSA has proposed four updates to federal motor vehicle safety standards.
- Changes are designed to accommodate autonomous vehicles without manual controls.
- Government says the rules were written decades ago and don’t reflect modern tech.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is working to modernize federal motor vehicle safety standards to account for autonomous driving technology. The government believes these updates are overdue as the rules were written decades ago, when the thought of a car driving itself was science fiction.
That’s no longer the case and the government has proposed four changes that would “address standards for vehicles with automated driving systems and no manual controls.” In essence, they’re aimed at robotaxis and shuttles like those operated by Zoox.
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The NHTSA is looking to update rules related to the “transmission shift position sequence” as well as windshield defrosting and defogging systems. Other rules deal with windshield wiping and washing systems as well as lights and reflective devices.
As the government explained, FMVSS 108 “includes requirements that assume a human driver and manual controls.” There are also references to the location of a driver as well as wording related to the use of the aformentioned controls.
The latest effort builds on an earlier push to streamline the Part 555 exemption process for autonomous vehicles. The government added the changes will help “unleash American ingenuity,” while also preventing a “harmful patchwork of state laws and regulations.”
According to NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser, “Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards were written for vehicles with human drivers and need to be updated for autonomous vehicles. Removing these requirements will reduce costs and enhance safety.”
