Autonomous vehicles must not obstruct emergency responders: US safety agency
What's the story
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued a stern warning to autonomous vehicle (AV) manufacturers. The agency's administrator, Jonathan Morrison, said in a letter that it is "unacceptable" for their vehicles to interfere with first responders or law enforcement. Morrison highlighted a worrying trend of driverless AVs obstructing these critical services and failing to recognize basic safety signals like lights, flares, smoke, and fire.
Call to action
Solutions needed by end of July
The NHTSA has asked AV manufacturers to come up with their "solutions" for this problem by the end of July. In his letter, Morrison said that "the inability to detect and appropriately respond to such situations represents a functional insufficiency." He stressed that emergency scenes are not rare or extreme 'edge cases,' but common scenarios that need immediate attention from AV developers and operators.
Implications
Letter aimed at robotaxi operators like Waymo
The NHTSA's letter doesn't name any specific company, but it is clearly aimed at robotaxi operators such as Waymo. A previous TechCrunch investigation found that Waymo has had several run-ins with first responders. In at least six incidents through March this year, first responders had to take control of Waymo vehicles and move them out of traffic during emergencies.
Accountability
Companies could be held accountable just like human drivers
The NHTSA's letter doesn't specify what would happen if the request is ignored or what acceptable solutions would look like. However, it does suggest that companies could be held accountable just like human drivers who block law enforcement operations. The agency stressed that "every second matters when law enforcement officers, firefighters, or paramedics are answering a call because lives are on the line."
Regulatory changes
Proposed changes to FMVSS requirements
Along with the letter, the NHTSA also issued a press release announcing its progress on updating Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) requirements. These proposed changes could benefit autonomous vehicle companies like Tesla and Zoox, which are working on vehicles without steering wheels or pedals. The agency has already proposed rules to eliminate windshield wipers, sun visors, defogging systems, and tire placards from these vehicles.