WASHINGTON – The brand new head of the federal government’s street security company says it’s going to intensify efforts to grasp the dangers posed by automated car know-how so it could actually determine what laws could also be mandatory to guard drivers, passengers and pedestrians.
In an interview Wednesday, Steven Cliff, who was confirmed final month as head of the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration, mentioned the company is assessing crash information just lately reported by automakers and tech corporations.
Any new laws NHTSA might impose would fill what critics say is an pressing want to handle the rising use of driver assisted methods on U.S. roads. The methods have been linked to crashes involving deaths and critical accidents, although in addition they have huge potential to stop crashes. There aren’t any federal laws that immediately cowl both self-driving autos or these with partially automated driver-assist methods corresponding to Tesla’s Autopilot.
Earlier than growing any new federal requirements, Cliff mentioned, NHTSA desires to to raised perceive how driver-assist and autonomous know-how ought to carry out.
Cliff spoke Wednesday to The Related Press in his first on-the-record interview since being confirmed by the Senate.
He mentioned that when he first joined the company in February 2021, he was stunned to find that NHTSA had no information on automated car crashes. In consequence, Cliff mentioned, he challenged the company to require such reporting. Final month, NHTSA launched information from July 2021 to Might, concluding that automated autos have been concerned in almost 400 crashes.
