NHTSA Finalizes Occupant Safety Standards for Vehicles Without Driving Controls

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) just issued a press release about their first-of-its-kind rule regarding occupant protection safety standards for vehicles without driving controls. The finalization of this rule is going to assure the same level of protection is maintained for passengers of vehicles equipped with automatic driving systems as has been available to occupants in traditional vehicles with manual controls.  

This rule updates the occupant protection Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to account for vehicles that don’t have the traditional manual controls that are associated with human drivers. This development is extremely important since driverless technology has been rolling out into the consumer market for the past few years. There needs to be safety standards for vehicles equipped with automatic driving systems too.  

Safety Standards Are Just as Important for Vehicles With Driverless Technology 

Prior to the new rule, all occupant protection standards were made for traditional vehicle features like steering wheels and other types of manual controls. The new rule updates the standards to clarify what is required for manufacturers when applying the standards to vehicles with automatic driving systems, but that also don’t have traditional manual controls. 

Ultimately, the goal of this new rule is to make sure that even vehicles with this brand new and exciting technology are held to the same high levels of occupant protection standards as regular passenger vehicles.  

NHTSA Also Requiring Crash and Incident Reporting for Automated Driving Tech  

This isn’t the only recent development from the NHTSA in an effort to improve safety involving vehicles with driverless technology. Last year, they issued a Standing General Order requiring crash and incident reporting for vehicles equipped with automated driving systems or certain advanced driver-assistance systems. These reports will help investigators to identify potential trends or issues that arise with these new automated systems.  

If you have been injured or if you have lost a loved one in a car accident involving a vehicle with an automated driving system or driver assistance systems in San Diego or anywhere in Southern California, contact the skilled and proven team at Harris Personal Injury Lawyers, Inc. at 1.800.GO.HARRIS for a free case consultation today.