DOT Issues Autonomous Vehicle Request for Comments

As discussed in a press release issued Jan. 10, 2018 by the US DOT, Secretary Chao informed attendees of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that the Department intends to have a more unified intermodal approach to automated driving systems policy.  In her remarks, Chao announced that DOT is issuing several notices for public comment.  Comments for each of the requests will be due 45 days after each notice is published in the Federal Register.

Each of the notices is briefly described below.

NHTSA notice on removing regulatory barriers for AVs (Docket No. NHTSA-2018-0009)

In this notice, NHTSA seeks public comments to identify any regulatory barriers in the existing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) to the testing, compliance certification and compliance verification of motor vehicles with Automated Driving Systems (ADSs) and certain unconventional interior designs.  NHTSA is focusing primarily, but not exclusively, on vehicles with ADSs that lack controls for a human driver; e.g., steering wheel, brake pedal or accelerator pedal.  The absence of manual driving controls, and thus of a human driver, poses potential barriers to testing, compliance certification and compliance verification.  NHTSA also seeks comments on the research that would be needed to determine how to amend the FMVSS in order to remove such barriers, while retaining those existing safety requirements that will be needed and appropriate for those vehicles. 

FHWA notice requesting information on Integration of ADS into the Highway Transportation System (Docket No. FHWA-2017-0049)

This notice seeks to better understand what is needed to accommodate ADS technologies, and maximize their potential benefits.

FTA notices requesting comments on Automated Transit Buses Research Program

This notice will obtain transit industry comment regarding the current and near-future statuses of automated transit buses and related technologies. Comments received will assist FTA in developing future Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for transit bus automation demonstrations with respect to the industry’s ability and interest. Concepts for the NOFOs on demonstrations and evaluations of transit bus automation usage will be defined in FTA’s Strategic Transit Automation Research (STAR) plan. A premise of the STAR plan is to leverage and apply commercially available technology and products to the public transit industry to hasten early demonstrable outcomes.

A second notice will obtain transit industry comment regarding current or potential institutional, regulatory, or other policy barriers to the development, demonstration, deployment, and evaluation of automated transit buses and related technologies. Information from the RFC will also provide critical feedback on potential modifications of FTA rules, regulations, and agency guidance.