On January 14, 2021, Ariel Wolf was quoted in Bloomberg on an update to federal motor vehicle safety standards that will exempt self-driving cars from crashworthiness standards that are applied to cars operated by humans.
According to the article, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on January 14 that it’s beginning to craft rules to clarify ambiguities in current occupant protection standards for vehicles equipped with automated driving systems that are designed without traditional manual driver controls.
“With more than 90% of serious crashes caused by driver error, it’s vital that we remove unnecessary barriers to technology that could help save lives,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator James Owens said in a statement. “We do not want regulations enacted long before the development of automated technologies to present an unintended and unnecessary barrier to innovation and improved vehicle safety.”
“NHTSA’s Final Rule is a step forward for autonomous vehicle (AV) technology and design,” said Wolf.
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