The brand new head of the federal government’s highway security company says he’ll intensify efforts to know the dangers posed by automated car expertise
The brand new head of the federal government’s highway security company says he’ll intensify efforts to know the dangers posed by automated car expertise
The brand new head of the federal government’s highway security company says it can intensify efforts to know the dangers posed by automated car expertise so it might probably resolve what rules could also be crucial 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 not too long ago reported by automakers and expertise corporations.
Any new rules NHTSA might impose would fill what critics say is an pressing want to handle the rising use of driver-assistance methods on U.S. roads. The methods have been linked to crashes involving deaths and critical accidents, although in addition they have monumental potential to forestall crashes. There aren’t any federal rules that straight cowl both self-driving automobiles or these with partially automated driver-assist methods resembling Tesla’s Autopilot.
Earlier than growing any new federal requirements, Cliff mentioned, NHTSA desires to higher perceive how the brand new expertise ought to carry out.
Cliff spoke on June 29 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 shocked to find that NHTSA had no information on automated car crashes. Consequently, Cliff mentioned, he challenged the company to require such reporting. Final month, NHTSA launched information from July 2021 to Might, concluding that automated automobiles have been concerned in almost 400 crashes.
Cliff cautioned that whereas he believes federal requirements are wanted to control driver assisted expertise, he desires to keep away from dashing to embrace new guidelines that may probably find yourself compromising security.
“Any time we put a regulation on the books, we’ve got to outline not solely what commonplace that expertise must be held to, however we have to have an goal strategy to measure the efficiency of the system to make sure that it really complies with the regulation,” he mentioned from his workplace on the Division of Transportation’s headquarters in Washington.
The company, Cliff mentioned, can also be engaged on efficiency requirements for automated emergency braking, which it plans to require on all new passenger automobiles and heavy vehicles. The braking methods, which might detect and cease for pedestrians, different automobiles and obstacles, present nice potential to assist stem rising visitors deaths within the U.S., he mentioned.
NHTSA, he mentioned, will set metrics for the way the braking methods detect objects to make sure that the methods reply appropriately.
“That’s a part of any of the requirements that we put in place,” he mentioned.
Cliff declined to debate any particulars of rules that could be forthcoming.
“It’s vital for us to take the info that comes from these incidents, higher perceive it in an engineering context,” he mentioned. “I believe it’s vital to maneuver shortly however not so quick that we’re getting it fallacious.”
Of the almost 400 crashes that have been reported by producers, Teslas have been concerned in additional than all different automakers mixed. However Cliff famous that Tesla has driver-assist expertise working on almost all of its roughly 830,000 automobiles on U.S. roads, which makes neat comparisons to different automakers tough. The corporate additionally gives almost instantaneous wi-fi reporting of crashes, so it receives information sooner than different automakers.
Since Cliff’s arrival, the company has stepped up enforcement efforts geared toward Tesla, together with a push for a dozen recollects for the reason that begin of 2021. The company is investigating why Teslas engaged on Autopilot appear to crash into emergency automobiles parked alongside freeways. And it has obtained greater than 750 client complaints involving Teslas braking unexpectedly for no obvious motive.
On the similar time, Cliff added, Tesla has been cooperative with NHTSA since his arrival on the company.
“I believe we work properly with them,” he mentioned, “and when we’ve got recognized that there are dangers, they’ve taken motion, and that’s applicable.”
Cliff, 52, whose background is in chemistry and air air pollution regulation with little auto security expertise, takes over the company at a crucial time. NHTSA has estimated that almost 43,000 folks have been killed on U.S. roads final yr, the best such determine in 16 years.
Security advocates say NHTSA has change into extra aggressive in regulating automakers since Cliff’s arrival from the California Air Assets Board, the state’s air pollution regulator. Cliff, who first joined the California board in 2008 as an air air pollution specialist, rose to change into its deputy govt officer. Years earlier, he obtained a bachelor’s diploma and doctorate in chemistry from the College of California, San Diego.
He concedes that he has needed to change into a fast research on auto security. However he mentioned that assessing the science and the info is much like the work he did in California.
In December, Cliff informed the Senate Commerce Committee that he would work to undertake rules resembling these urging seat belt use, and would implement mandates below the brand new federal infrastructure regulation to scale back drunken driving.
He mentioned he believes that automated emergency braking in new automobiles ought to assist scale back fatalities and that the company will take a “protected methods method” to stem the deaths. These approaches may embody roadway design and reductions in pace limits.
As well as, he mentioned, NHTSA is attempting to know why Black Individuals die in crashes at a larger price than different teams.
“In some circumstances,” Cliff mentioned, “lots of that has to do with infrastructure, but additionally the automobiles themselves. So enhancing the brand new car fleet is a part of the answer, nevertheless it’s additionally vital that we educate drivers.”