The potential dangers of autonomous vehicles are too great to rely on voluntary reporting, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association told the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
In formal comments sent on Monday, March 17, OOIDA said that the public needs greater transparency when it comes to autonomous vehicles.
“While autonomous vehicles might improve safety under certain conditions, they create new risks with dangerous outcomes,” the Association wrote in comments signed by President Todd Spencer. “Unfortunately, mostly voluntary federal reporting requirements leave truckers and the general public in the dark about the safety and reliability of autonomous technologies. OOIDA has advocated for autonomous vehicle standards that are based on documented research and testing data. OOIDA supports mandatory testing, safety and crash-reporting requirements that will provide the public with direct and easy access to information about autonomous vehicle performance.”
NHTSA issued a notice in January that proposed a voluntary framework for the evaluation and oversight of motor vehicles equipped with automated driving systems. The Autonomous Vehicle Safety, Transparency and Evaluation Program (AV STEP) would be established “with the goal of improving public transparency related to the safety of certain autonomous driving system-equipped vehicles, while allowing for responsible development of this technology.”
OOIDA said there’s already evidence that a voluntary system won’t work.
“We do not believe the voluntary structure of the proposed AV STEP will provide NHTSA or the general public with direct and easy access to information about autonomous vehicle testing and development,” OOIDA wrote.
The Association added that NHTSA’s Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative is a great example. In June 2020, AV TEST was launched for states, local governments and private stakeholders to voluntarily submit information about testing and deployment of autonomous vehicles.
“Yet, the database has not attracted significant buy-in from stakeholders,” OOIDA wrote. “Currently, only 38 total entities (developers, manufacturers, state/local governments, federal agencies, site operators, trade associations, universities or vehicle operators) are listed on the AV TEST Initiative portal. Only 19 of these particular groups have presented any sort of information to NHTSA through AV TEST.”
OOIDA added that what has been submitted often appears more like public relations materials than actual safety performance data.
“This shows the voluntary nature of AV TEST has not been effective in producing the necessary safety data to implement informed regulatory policies for these vehicles,” OOIDA wrote.
Are self-driving trucks coming soon?
Aurora Innovation plans to deploy a limited number of driverless trucks in April along a dedicated route between Dallas and Houston.
The company is moving ahead with its deployment despite a lack of buy-in from the general public.
A recent AAA survey revealed that only 13% of Americans trust driverless vehicles.
Additionally, the Truck Safety Coalition relayed the public’s concerns in its comments to NHTSA.
“Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety commissioned a public opinion poll on the topic of driverless cars and trucks, and nearly nine out of 10 respondents reported being ‘deeply troubled’ by the prospect of sharing the road with these vehicles,” the Truck Safety Coalition wrote. “The burden is on autonomous driving system manufacturers and interested carriers to prove to the public and DOT that this technology can work safely at scale.” LL
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