New NHTSA Chief To Probe Auto-Driver Technology Similar To That Of Tesla

The new head of the government's road safety office says the agency will step up efforts to better understand the threats posed by automated vehicle technology so that it can determine what rules are needed to protect drivers, passengers, and pedestrians, Tom Krisher reported for the Associated Press (AP).

Photo Insert: Steven Cliff is the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) new administrator.

In an interview on Wednesday, Steven Cliff, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) new administrator, said the agency is reviewing crash data recently disclosed by automakers and internet companies.

Any new restrictions imposed by the NHTSA would address what opponents believe is an urgent need to curb the rising usage of driver-assist technologies on American roadways.

The systems have been associated with fatal and major injury crashes, but they also have huge potential to prevent crashes. There are no federal rules that specifically address self-driving vehicles or those with partially automated driver-assist systems like Tesla's Autopilot.

Cliff stated that the NHTSA wants to further understand how the new technology should perform before setting any new federal requirements. Cliff gave the Associated Press his first on-the-record interview since being confirmed by the Senate on Wednesday.

He stated that when he first started at the agency in February 2021, he was astonished to see that the NHTSA had no statistics on automated vehicle crashes. Cliff stated that as a result, he challenged the agency to mandate such reports.

The NHTSA revealed statistics from July 2021 to May last month, determining that automated vehicles were involved in over 400 crashes.

Cliff warned that, while he feels federal standards are required to control driver assistance technology, he does not want to rush into new rules that could jeopardize safety.

“Any time we put a regulation on the books, we have to define not only what standard that technology needs to be held to, but we need to have an objective way to measure the performance of the system to ensure that it actually complies with the regulation,” he said from his office at the Department of Transportation’s headquarters in Washington.

Cliff also stated that the agency is working on performance criteria for automatic emergency braking, which it intends to mandate on all new passenger vehicles and heavy trucks. The braking systems, which can identify and stop for pedestrians, other vehicles, and barriers, have the potential to significantly reduce road deaths in the United States.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic