U.S. NHTSA: Autonomous driving-related accidents must be reported within 24 hours

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced that it will be mandatory for Google Waymo, Tesla, and other automakers to submit accident reports related to autonomous vehicles and ADAS, an advanced driving assistance system, within 24 hours of an accident.

The NHTSA said it could gain public confidence by closely monitoring the safety of autonomous vehicles, the NHTSA said.

Currently, autonomous vehicles are introduced up to the legal limit in each state in the United States, but accidents related to advanced driving assistance systems such as Autopilot often fall into a regulatory gray area, which could prevent smooth accident verification. The new rules require that motor vehicle accidents be reported immediately, including hospital transfers and the number of fatalities, towed vehicles, airbags activated, pedestrians and cyclists.

Manufacturers are also required to submit monthly reports for all accidents involving personal injury or property damage involving autonomous driving systems. The number of vehicles equipped with autonomous driving or driving assistance systems is increasing year by year, and the number of accidents related to those systems is also increasing. In 2018, an Uber self-driving test vehicle hit a bicycle and killed a woman while crossing the road. Uber has since halted plans to develop an autonomous driving system.

Meanwhile, Tesla has been strengthening system functions by selling a driving assistance system with a tricky name, Autopilot, to customers and actually collecting test driving data through it. In the past, however, the system has been used in accidents where a Tesla car slammed into the side of a trailer, killing the driver. The NHTSA points out that the accident was due to the driver’s overreliance on driving assistance systems. The NHTSA also says it has investigated more than 20 autopilot-related incidents so far.

The NHTSA also said automakers could face fines of up to $22,992 per day if they neglect to report the new regulations, potentially spiking up to $100 million or more. Related information can be found here.