USDOT Waters Down Self-Driving Car Regulations

The U.S. Department of Transportation announced it is rolling back regulations on self-driving vehicles. According to an article by Aarian Marshall in Wired, carmarkers will no longer have to provide detailed reports of crashes to government agencies.

“But the new rules will limit the information available to those who watchdog and study autonomous vehicles and driver assistance features—tech developments that are deeply entwined with public safety but which companies often shield from public view because they involve proprietary systems that companies spend billions to develop,” Marshall explains.

Now, automakers will not be required to report crashes that include property damage under $1,000 in value or that do not result in “fatalities, hospitalizations, air bag deployments, or a strike on a ‘vulnerable road user,’ like a pedestrian or cyclist.”

Road safety advocates worry the changes will lead to significant underreporting of crashes. “The new DOT framework will also allow automakers to test self-driving technology with more vehicles that don’t meet all federal safety standards under a new exemption process.” The process, which is currently available to foreign vehicles, can let carmakers bypass typical safety features that can be replaced by computers.