[nfb-talk] Fw: (late in reporting) US DoT NHTSA releases preliminary guidelines on self-driving car development

[Ed Meskys]

It is good to see officials taking seriously the coming of self-driving cars in the reasonable future. Breaking it down to various levels of self-direction is a good step. Perhaps blind drivers using the NFB technology will become the human supervisor of the car, capable of taking over in an emergency. Ed Meskys

----- Original Message ----- 
From: George Sandoval 
To: NHBLIND-TALK at LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG 
Sent: Saturday, November 09, 2013 11:36 AM
Subject: (late in reporting) US DoT NHTSA releases preliminary guidelines on self-driving car development


(late in reporting) US federal Dept of Transportation's (Dot) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) releases preliminary guidelines on self-driving car development


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http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2419732,00.asp


Feds Release Guidelines for Self-Driving Cars
  a..  By Chloe Albanesius 
  b.. May 30, 2013 04:10pm EST 
  c.. 0 Comments


 
VIEW ALL PHOTOS IN GALLERY U.S. transportation officials today released early guidelines for the development of self-driving cars, including recommendations for lawmakers who are writing laws governing the technology.

Even though Google's self-driving car has been spotted roaming the streets of Silicon Valley, and Audi and Toyota showed off some autonomous vehicle tech at this year's CES, the technology is still in its infancy and solid rules for how it should be handled are still a few years out, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said today.

Still, the agency has some broad recommendations for things that state legislators should consider when crafting bills that cover self-driving cars. States like Nevada, California, and Florida have already passed legislation governing the tech, but NHTSA said today that "some states are anxious for guidance on how to proceed."

The recommendations cover licensing, testing, and operation of self-driving vehicles. But NHTSA "does not recommend at this time that states permit operation of self-driving vehicles for purposes other than testing," so lawmakers should really focus on licensing and testing right now.

Google's Self-Driving Car 
 
 
 
 
VIEW ALL PHOTOS IN GALLERY 
On licensing, NHTSA recommends that drivers understand how to operate a self-driving vehicle, which means they'll either need a regular state-issued driver's license or a separate one for self-driving cars. So, visions of putting your dog in a car and having your self-driving car shuttle him off to the vet (or junior to pre-school) without you will have to wait - for now. A training course, meanwhile, should cover "how to resume control of [a self-driving] vehicle in the event that it cannot continue to operate automatically," the NHTSA said.

For those testing autonomous vehicles, the NHTSA said the cars should easily transition between self-driving mode and driver mode, be able to inform a driver if self-driving mode has failed, make sure that federally required safety requirements are followed, and record all data about crashes or malfunctions.

NHTSA, meanwhile, also developed a five-point system that categorizes levels of automation, with one being no automation and five being totally independent. Right now, the agency is working on level one technology (function-specific automation like adaptive cruise control) and are planning for research on levels two through four.

"One of the main end products of this initial research program would be recommendations for what requirements are needed for the driver-vehicle interface to allow safe operation and transition between automated and non-automated vehicle operation," the report said. "We plan to complete the first phase of this research in the next two years."

For more, check out Will Google Make Money Off the Self-Driving Car?



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View NHTSA's statement of (preliminary) policy on automated vehicles.

(NHBLIND-TALK rejects submissions with attachments.)


http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/U.S.+Department+of+Transportation+Releases+Policy+on+Automated+Vehicle+Development
U.S. Department of Transportation Releases Policy on Automated Vehicle Development 

NHTSA 14-13
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Contact: Karen Aldana, 202-366-9550, Public.Affairs at dot.gov

Provides guidance to states permitting testing of emerging vehicle technology
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today announced a new policy concerning vehicle automation, including its plans for research on related safety issues and recommendations for states related to the testing, licensing, and regulation of "autonomous" or "self-driving" vehicles. Self-driving vehicles are those in which operation of the vehicle occurs without direct driver input to control the steering, acceleration, and braking and are designed so that the driver is not expected to constantly monitor the roadway while operating in self-driving mode.

"Whether we're talking about automated features in cars today or fully automated vehicles of the future, our top priority is to ensure these vehicles – and their occupants – are safe," said Secretary Ray LaHood. "Our research covers all levels of automation, including advances like automatic braking that may save lives in the near term, while the recommendations to states help them better oversee self-driving vehicle development, which holds promising long-term safety benefits."

NHTSA's policy addresses:

  a.. An explanation of the many areas of vehicle innovation and types of automation that offer significant potential for enormous reductions in highway crashes and deaths;
  b.. A summary of the research NHTSA has planned or has begun to help ensure that all safety issues related to vehicle automation are explored and addressed; and
  c.. Recommendations to states that have authorized operation of self-driving vehicles, for test purposes, on how best to ensure safe operation as these new concepts are being tested on highways.
Several states, including Nevada, California and Florida have enacted legislation that expressly permits operation of self-driving (sometimes called "autonomous") vehicles under certain conditions. These experimental vehicles are at the highest end of a wide range of automation that begins with some safety features already in vehicles, such as electronic stability control. Today's policy will provide states interested in passing similar laws with assistance to ensure that their legislation does not inadvertently impact current vehicle technology and that the testing of self-driving vehicles is conducted safely.

"We're encouraged by the new automated vehicle technologies being developed and implemented today, but want to ensure that motor vehicle safety is considered in the development of these advances," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "As additional states consider similar legislation, our recommendations provide lawmakers with the tools they need to encourage the safe development and implementation of automated vehicle technology."

The policy statement also describes NHTSA's research efforts related to autonomous vehicles. While the technology remains in early stages, NHTSA is conducting research on self-driving vehicles so that the agency has the tools to establish standards for these vehicles, should the vehicles become commercially available. The first phase of this research is expected to be completed within the next four years.

NHTSA's many years of research on vehicle automation have already led to regulatory and other policy developments. The agency's work on electronic stability control (ESC), for example, led to a standard mandating that form of automated technology on all new light vehicles since MY 2011. More recently, NHTSA issued a proposal that would require ESC on new heavy vehicles.

NHTSA defines vehicle automation as having five levels:

No-Automation (Level 0): The driver is in complete and sole control of the primary vehicle controls – brake, steering, throttle, and motive power – at all times.

Function-specific Automation (Level 1): Automation at this level involves one or more specific control functions. Examples include electronic stability control or pre-charged brakes, where the vehicle automatically assists with braking to enable the driver to regain control of the vehicle or stop faster than possible by acting alone.

Combined Function Automation (Level 2): This level involves automation of at least two primary control functions designed to work in unison to relieve the driver of control of those functions. An example of combined functions enabling a Level 2 system is adaptive cruise control in combination with lane centering.

Limited Self-Driving Automation (Level 3): Vehicles at this level of automation enable the driver to cede full control of all safety-critical functions under certain traffic or environmental conditions and in those conditions to rely heavily on the vehicle to monitor for changes in those conditions requiring transition back to driver control. The driver is expected to be available for occasional control, but with sufficiently comfortable transition time. The Google car is an example of limited self-driving automation.

Full Self-Driving Automation (Level 4): The vehicle is designed to perform all safety-critical driving functions and monitor roadway conditions for an entire trip. Such a design anticipates that the driver will provide destination or navigation input, but is not expected to be available for control at any time during the trip. This includes both occupied and unoccupied vehicles.

View NHTSA's statement of policy on automated vehicles.

Stay connected with NHTSA via: Facebook.com/NHTSA | Twitter.com/NHTSAgov | YouTube.com/USDOTNHTSA | SaferCar.gov





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