www.eetimes.eu, Aug. 17, 2021 –
Autonomous vehicles are already on public roads in various U.S. cities. Do regulators – and the public – have reason to trust the safety and reliability of these vehicles? We aren't being given enough information to start trusting any company developing AV technology or AVs themselves, largely because the agency responsible for auto safety is giving tech companies and AV automakers a free pass from scrutiny.
The only sources of "safety" information available to regulators and other interested observers are the reports that the companies developing the vehicles submit to the National Highway Transportation Safety Board. NHTSA posts companies' Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment (VSSA) documents on its website.
Bowing to the mantra of "innovation," NHTSA places no obligation on companies to report any specific data, let alone data in standardized formats. NHTSA does offer "Automated Driving Systems 2.0 Voluntary Guidance" and a VSSA template. But a VSSA, as its name makes obvious, is a voluntary self-assessment. Companies aren't obligated to file one. Many don't bother.