So, like, the U.S. is shaking things up in the driverless car world, guys. On April 24, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy dropped a bombshell with some new rules that are supposed to give American robotaxis a leg up against the competition. The rules are all about cutting down on the crash data that companies have to send to the regulators and making it easier for U.S.-made robo taxis to take on the foreign ones.
The new rules are set to kick in on June 16 and they affect different levels of vehicle automation. There’s Level 2, where the driver still needs to jump in sometimes, and then there’s Levels 3 to 5, where the car pretty much drives itself with little to no help needed. The rules still require companies to report any crashes involving fatalities, hospital trips, hitting pedestrians or cyclists, or airbag deployments within five days. They also have to report any incidents where the car hits another vehicle, property, or something stationary within a month. But get this, minor stuff like door dings and fender benders won’t really need to be reported for Level 2 systems anymore. Tesla’s Full Self-Driving and Ford’s BlueCruise fall into this category, and they’re the most common ones out there.
Critics are coming out of the woodwork to say that cutting back on the reporting requirements could be a bad move. They’re afraid that without all the nitty-gritty details, researchers won’t be able to catch any red flags early on. Cathy Chase, the big cheese over at Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, says that being transparent about how these vehicles perform on the road is super important. But hey, the government says these changes will help companies save money while still keeping things safe. Who knows, right?
Another change in the rules lets manufacturers keep some crash info under wraps if they think it’s super secret business stuff. They can hide whether the car was driven in the right conditions, what actually happened during the crash, and which version of the self-driving software was being used. This info is like a window into how well the tech is actually working, so some safety researchers are a bit ticked off about it.
The last change is all about making life easier for American car makers. See, foreign companies can bring in noncompliant vehicles for testing on U.S. roads, but American companies didn’t really have that option. They had to build their experimental cars overseas and then ship them back, which was a real pain in the bum. Now, the U.S. is giving its homegrown prototypes a pass to hit the streets for testing, which could lead to more innovation and more jobs at home. Pretty cool, huh?
Supporters of the new rules think they’ll speed things up, make it easier to fix safety issues, and level the playing field for American car makers. But not everyone is on board. Some folks think that cutting back on crash data will make it harder to spot problems early on, and they’re worried that the government won’t be able to keep up with all the new robo taxis hitting the road. It’s a bit of a gamble, but the U.S. is betting that these changes will help American companies come out on top in the race to driverless cars.
So, with all these changes in the air, who knows what the future holds for the driverless car industry. But one thing’s for sure, the U.S. isn’t about to take its foot off the gas pedal anytime soon.
