NACTO Fights Autonomous Vehicle Safety Exemptions

Two major automakers have petitioned for the right to test thousands of vehicles without major safety features such as brake pedals and steering wheels.

2 minute read

September 28, 2022, 7:00 AM PDT

By Diana Ionescu @aworkoffiction


View from inside driver's seat of car with autonomous technology, with yellow rectangles highlighting obstacles in road

Scharfsinn / Autonomous vehicle

Petitions from Ford and General Motors to exempt some vehicles with Automated Driving Systems (ADS) from human-operated safety controls are facing criticism from the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), which claims that the automakers are trying to avoid regulations that help ensure road safety. In an article for Streetsblog, Eve Kessler describes the complaints lodged by NACTO in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Automakers for years have tried to get more AVs on American streets even as evidence mounts that the machines aren’t as smart as the companies think they are and pose a danger to pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.

The companies want to introduce 2,500 vehicles annually that would be used for delivery and ride sharing services and forgo steering wheels, brake pedals, and mirrors—“that is, the controls that lets humans take over if the high-tech machinery goes haywire.” According to NACTO’s letter to federal regulators, “The companies ‘must not only establish that the controls, telltales, and devices aren’t needed for vehicles controlled by an ADS, but also prove that the ADS can successfully respond in a manner at least as safe as a nonexempt vehicle with a human driver would.’”

NACTO is also calling on the NHTSA to develop standards specific to autonomous vehicles “in ways that won’t lead to more road deaths and the destruction of cities,” which NACTO has laid out in their Blueprint for Autonomous Urbanism

Friday, September 23, 2022 in Streetsblog USA

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 9, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Map of Haussmann's redesign of Paris in the 1850s through 1870s under Napoleon III.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking

Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

June 30, 2025 - Tom Sanchez

Adult holding hands of two children, all wearing winter coats, in crosswalk in New York City during holidays with trees decorated with lights in background.

Pedestrian Deaths Drop, Remain Twice as High as in 2009

Fatalities declined by 4 percent in 2024, but the U.S. is still nowhere close to ‘Vision Zero.’

1 hour ago - Streetsblog USA

View of dense apartment buildings on Seattle waterfront with high-rise buildings in background.

King County Supportive Housing Program Offers Hope for Unhoused Residents

The county is taking a ‘Housing First’ approach that prioritizes getting people into housing, then offering wraparound supportive services.

July 11 - Real Change

Aerial view of suburban housing near Las Vegas, Nevada.

Researchers Use AI to Get Clearer Picture of US Housing

Analysts are using artificial intelligence to supercharge their research by allowing them to comb through data faster. Though these AI tools can be error prone, they save time and housing researchers are optimistic about the future.

July 11 - Shelterforce Magazine