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The auto-safety regulator wants to provide more transparency on crashes involving advanced driver-assistance or automated-driving systems
The auto industry’s top safety regulator plans to release new data this month, providing the public with its first detailed look at vehicle crashes involving automated-driving features, according to people familiar with the plans.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last year ordered companies to report serious crashes involving two types of systems gaining wider adoption: advanced driver-assistance features that assume some control over steering, braking and acceleration, and more sophisticated automated-driving technologies, such as those used in self-driving cars.
More than 100 companies are subject to the agency’s order, including Tesla Inc. TSLA -9.22%▼ and operators of autonomous-car fleets, like Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG -2.70%▼ Waymo and General Motors Co.’sGM -3.24%▼ Cruise LLC.
The technology under scrutiny includes lane-keeping assistance and cruise-control systems that keep a fixed distance behind a leading car, as well as higher-tech systems such as features offered by Tesla that can guide a car along highways with minimal driver input. The companies must report incidents within one day of learning about them if a fatality or injury occurs, NHTSA has said.
The auto-safety agency has been targeting a midmonth release of the data, which is expected to detail the frequency and severity of such crashes, the people said.
NHTSA has previously said it would make the data public but has yet to disclose the timing. On Friday, the agency said it is working on finalizing how and when to
release the information obtained through its general order.
The agency’s move to provide the public with a fuller view of crashes involving the technology comes as lawmakers and safety advocates are pushing for tighter regulatory oversight of the burgeoning market for vehicle automation.
Auto makers have been moving quickly to roll out features that assist drivers with certain tasks and allow motorists in certain situations to go hands-free behind the wheel. Such features are designed to be used by a fully attentive driver and help with tasks such as staying centered in the lane and keeping pace with surrounding traffic.
In recent years, car companies have stepped up their promotion of driver-assistance features, marketing them as a way to improve safety and alleviate driver fatigue, particularly on long road trips. These systems still require the driver to remain engaged and take over when needed, but how they operate varies widely depending on the manufacturer.
Tesla’s Autopilot, which is available on vehicles made in late 2014 and after, is among the best known and has been facing scrutiny from NHTSA. The agency opened an investigation last summer into Tesla’s Autopilot system after a series of crashes involving Teslas and one or more parked emergency vehicles. NHTSA has also launched probes into a number of fatal crashes it suspects were linked to Autopilot.
Tesla instructs drivers using the system to pay attention to the road and to keep their hands on the wheel. However, some drivers misuse the technology, including by overriding safety functions to operate the vehicle without their hands on the wheel. Some critics also say the term Autopilot risks giving drivers an inflated sense of the system’s capabilities.
Tesla has said that driving with Autopilot engaged is safer than doing so without it. The company points to internal data showing that crashes were less common when drivers were using Autopilot. Some researchers have criticized Tesla’s methodology.
General Motors Co. in 2017 debuted a hands-free driving technology, called Super Cruise, that can be activated on most U.S. highways by pushing a button on the steering wheel that enables the car to take over steering and speed control.
Ford Motor Co. last year began offering a similar feature last year on some popular models, including its top-selling F-150 pickup truck. Other technologies aimed at preventing crashes—such as automatic emergency braking or systems to prevent cars from drifting out of the lane—are also becoming more commonplace.
Meanwhile, tech firms like Waymo and GM’s Cruise are deploying more autonomous vehicles for commercial and testing purposes, where a human driver is only in the car for backup or not there at all.
Industry groups, including the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, have raised concerns about NHTSA’s intention to release the data publicly, saying it could lack context and unnecessarily confuse consumers if it isn’t clear on which technologies were in use.
NHTSA has said it wants to collect timely information on crashes to help the agency better evaluate potential safety defects linked to these features and also provide more transparency to the public.
The auto-safety agency has opened investigations on more than 40 accidents in which driver-assistance systems were suspected to play a role.
NHTSA has signaled for months that it intended to publicly release the data.
At a December hearing before a congressional committee, the agency’s then-acting administrator Steven Cliff said it hoped to release the data in the “near-future.” Mr. Cliff was confirmed to his post last week by the full Senate.
The auto industry’s top safety regulator plans to release new data this month, providing the public with its first detailed look at vehicle crashes involving automated-driving features, according to people familiar with the plans.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last year ordered companies to report serious crashes involving two types of systems gaining wider adoption: advanced driver-assistance features that assume some control over steering, braking and acceleration, and more sophisticated automated-driving technologies, such as those used in self-driving cars.
More than 100 companies are subject to the agency’s order, including Tesla Inc. TSLA -9.22%▼ and operators of autonomous-car fleets, like Alphabet Inc.’s GOOG -2.70%▼ Waymo and General Motors Co.’sGM -3.24%▼ Cruise LLC.
The technology under scrutiny includes lane-keeping assistance and cruise-control systems that keep a fixed distance behind a leading car, as well as higher-tech systems such as features offered by Tesla that can guide a car along highways with minimal driver input. The companies must report incidents within one day of learning about them if a fatality or injury occurs, NHTSA has said.
The auto-safety agency has been targeting a midmonth release of the data, which is expected to detail the frequency and severity of such crashes, the people said.
NHTSA has previously said it would make the data public but has yet to disclose the timing. On Friday, the agency said it is working on finalizing how and when to
release the information obtained through its general order.
The agency’s move to provide the public with a fuller view of crashes involving the technology comes as lawmakers and safety advocates are pushing for tighter regulatory oversight of the burgeoning market for vehicle automation.
Auto makers have been moving quickly to roll out features that assist drivers with certain tasks and allow motorists in certain situations to go hands-free behind the wheel. Such features are designed to be used by a fully attentive driver and help with tasks such as staying centered in the lane and keeping pace with surrounding traffic.
In recent years, car companies have stepped up their promotion of driver-assistance features, marketing them as a way to improve safety and alleviate driver fatigue, particularly on long road trips. These systems still require the driver to remain engaged and take over when needed, but how they operate varies widely depending on the manufacturer.
Tesla’s Autopilot, which is available on vehicles made in late 2014 and after, is among the best known and has been facing scrutiny from NHTSA. The agency opened an investigation last summer into Tesla’s Autopilot system after a series of crashes involving Teslas and one or more parked emergency vehicles. NHTSA has also launched probes into a number of fatal crashes it suspects were linked to Autopilot.
Tesla instructs drivers using the system to pay attention to the road and to keep their hands on the wheel. However, some drivers misuse the technology, including by overriding safety functions to operate the vehicle without their hands on the wheel. Some critics also say the term Autopilot risks giving drivers an inflated sense of the system’s capabilities.
Tesla has said that driving with Autopilot engaged is safer than doing so without it. The company points to internal data showing that crashes were less common when drivers were using Autopilot. Some researchers have criticized Tesla’s methodology.
General Motors Co. in 2017 debuted a hands-free driving technology, called Super Cruise, that can be activated on most U.S. highways by pushing a button on the steering wheel that enables the car to take over steering and speed control.
Ford Motor Co. last year began offering a similar feature last year on some popular models, including its top-selling F-150 pickup truck. Other technologies aimed at preventing crashes—such as automatic emergency braking or systems to prevent cars from drifting out of the lane—are also becoming more commonplace.
Meanwhile, tech firms like Waymo and GM’s Cruise are deploying more autonomous vehicles for commercial and testing purposes, where a human driver is only in the car for backup or not there at all.
Industry groups, including the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association and the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, have raised concerns about NHTSA’s intention to release the data publicly, saying it could lack context and unnecessarily confuse consumers if it isn’t clear on which technologies were in use.
NHTSA has said it wants to collect timely information on crashes to help the agency better evaluate potential safety defects linked to these features and also provide more transparency to the public.
The auto-safety agency has opened investigations on more than 40 accidents in which driver-assistance systems were suspected to play a role.
NHTSA has signaled for months that it intended to publicly release the data.
At a December hearing before a congressional committee, the agency’s then-acting administrator Steven Cliff said it hoped to release the data in the “near-future.” Mr. Cliff was confirmed to his post last week by the full Senate.
