Automakers are defending the requirement to report accidents involving partially or fully autonomous driving machines. However, automakers are also avoiding Tesla, which appears to be the main target of this new rule.Yesterday's rule by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration requires that companies such as Tesla and Alphabets Waymo report incidents involving driver assistant and autonomous systems within one-day of learning about a crash. This is a significant change and signals a more aggressive stance from regulators.Car companies are waiting and seeing.Car companies have been waiting and seeing. They praise NHTSAs commitments to safety, transparency, and safety, but object to the apparent conflation between driver-assistance system, such as Teslas Autopilot, and fully autonomous vehicles, such as those operated by Waymo. Although many autonomous vehicles can be deployed in states that have regulations in place, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), such as Teslas Autopilot, fall within a legal gray zone which allows for incidents to go unreported.The ruling was not discussed by most of the companies. Instead, they preferred to communicate through the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. This trade group represents all major automakers and suppliers, but not Tesla. In a statement, the alliance highlighted misuse and abuse of advanced driver assist systems (ADAS).John Bozzella, president of the group, stated that NHTSA's new reporting requirements are crucial for consumers to understand and benefit from these features. This will help build and improve confidence and trust in proven vehicle safety technology. Abusing Level 2 ADAS technology is dangerous and could result in consumers losing confidence in vehicles with these technologies.Level 2 ADAS systems can be dangerously misused.Bozzella also pointed out that nearly 99 percent (99%) of new US vehicles were sold by automakers last April. They pledged to develop effective driver monitoring systems for Level 2. These systems typically use in-car cameras to monitor drivers while using driver-assistance system.Ford and General Motors currently sell cars equipped with eye-tracking cameras that can be used to monitor drivers' attention, while allowing them to drive hands-free.Tesla, however, is the primary target of the new NHTSA rule. Tesla has always resisted regulatory pressures to improve driver monitoring in its cars. This may be changing. According to the latest software update notes, Tesla will use the camera above the rearview mirror in the Model 3 & Model Y to ensure that Autopilot is working properly.However, the company has not made any public statements about this change. Tesla spokesperson did not respond to a request to comment on this story. This is surprising given that Tesla has been without a public relations department for nearly two years and has not responded to any comment requests.Tesla and Elon Musk, its CEO, have been long criticised for exaggerating the capabilities of its Autopilot system. This basic version can center a Tesla car in a lane and round curves and adjust its speed according to the vehicle ahead. Tesla customers are often misled by brand names such as Full Self-Driving and Autopilot, believing that their cars can drive themselves.Tesla was criticized for exaggerating the capabilities of AutopilotIn the nine US crashes that included Autopilot, at least 11 people have died since 2015 when Tesla introduced Autopilot. There have been at most nine additional deaths in seven other crashes.Given the company's changing relationship with US regulators, this silence is particularly noteworthy. NHTSA is responsible for enforcing federal motor vehicle safety standards. It has been criticised for misrepresenting Autopilot's safety record and giving the company a pass for customers who misuse the technology. NHTSA revealed recently that 27 investigations were opened into Tesla vehicle crashes. 23 of these investigations remain active. Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted recently that NHTSA was great, despite this.The National Transportation Safety Board (which investigates accidents involving fully and partially autonomous vehicles) has been more open to pointing fingers at Musks company. A NTSB investigation into 2018 death of Tesla owner in California found that Autopilot was partially to blame. Musk has been more hostile to the agency than usual, and at one time he hung up on NTSB chairman.The Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets is another trade group that represents AV companies such as Waymo and Argo. It also echoes concerns expressed by the legacy automotive industry about their vehicles being grouped with Level 2 cars like Tesla.Ariel Wolf, the general counsel of the group, stated that clear national reporting standards could be a valuable way to improve public understanding of autonomous cars. However, it is important to distinguish between autonomous vehicles of our members that do not require human intervention in order to operate safely and driver assistance technology such as Teslas which requires attentive driving.To increase public understanding about autonomous vehicles, clear national reporting standards are an important tool.Wolf stated that the NHTSA rule was not consulted with industry members. Wolf stated that the coalition hopes for... constructive discussions with the agency about safety improvement.Auto safety groups applauded NHTSA's new rule that requires crash reporting. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety president Cathy Chase stated that the rule will give NHTSA the data it needs to assess the safety of crash avoidance and automated-driving systems. This is something the government had previously not had.Chase pointed out that the rule is particularly timely considering that the legislation currently pending before Congress requires very little data collection from private sector. She said that history and experience repeatedly show that voluntary agreements do not yield reliable, accurate, and comprehensive results.The Verges asked two car companies, Honda and Volkswagen, to comment on the new rule. VW, which works with Argo to develop autonomous vehicle technology, stated that it is looking forward to working closely with NHTSA regarding the principles behind the standing order.Honda, which invested in Cruise and helped to design the company's fully driverless shuttle system, pointed out that the current AcuraWatch and Honda Sensing driver-assistance products on sale in the US were considered Level 1 ADAS. There is therefore no immediate need for our vehicles.
