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EV & AV
AV Safety-Report Scorecard Reveals

Gaps in Information

By Junko Yoshida

The road has rules; autonomous-vehicle for AVs, “endlessly driving the same routes with nothing bad happen-
ing and no one getting killed doesn’t prove the safety case of a new
makers have suggestions. technology. NHTSA — and state regulators — have a responsibility to
ensure the safety of the public, not to act as enablers of experimental
utonomous vehicles are already on public roads in various technology being tested on non-consenting subjects.”
U.S. cities. Do regulators — and the public — have reason to
trust the safety and reliability of these vehicles? We aren’t IN A BUBBLE
Abeing given enough information to start trusting any company The AV industry in the United States is operating in a bubble. First,
developing AV technology or AVs themselves, largely because the AV manufacturers effectively can self-certify their autonomous
agency responsible for auto safety is giving tech companies and AV vehicles using their own standards and procedures. Second, they are
automakers a free pass from scrutiny. under no obligation to file a VSSA. Third, some AV developers’ reports
The only sources of “safety” information available to regulators and fail to mention any of the
other interested observers are the reports that the companies develop- EE Times examined safety-relevant industry
ing the vehicles submit to the National Highway Transportation Safety standards, including ISO
Board. NHTSA posts companies’ Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment every VSSA filed by 26262 (functional safety), ISO
(VSSA) documents on its website. 21448 (Safety of the Intended
Bowing to the mantra of “innovation,” NHTSA places no obligation AV developers on the Functionality), and ANSI/UL
on companies to report any specific data, let alone data in standardized NHTSA website. All of 4600. Even when they do cite
formats. NHTSA does offer “Automated Driving Systems 2.0 Voluntary those standards, they often do
Guidance” and a VSSA template (bit.ly/3oT2VeU). But a VSSA, as its them talk about ‘saving so only in passing.
name makes obvious, is a voluntary self-assessment. Companies aren’t lives,’ but few go into A small percentage of com-
obligated to file one. Many don’t bother. panies opt to file the reports.
This is in stark contrast to the rules that apply to drug companies detail on standards As of April 28, 55 companies
and aircraft manufacturers, for example. Companies in those had obtained permits to
safety-critical industries are required by the U.S. Food and Drug conformance. test autonomous vehicles
Administration (FDA) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), (monitored by a driver) from
respectively, to prove conformance to exacting industry standards California’s Department of Motor Vehicles. Of those 55, only 15 compa-
before they roll out their products. nies have thus far filed VSSAs with NHTSA. In total, 24 VSSA documents
Speaking to that point, Colin Barnden, lead analyst at Semicast have been filed. Not all of the companies that are testing in the U.S. are
Research, told EE Times, “The FDA does not permit new drugs to be testing in California, which partly explains the difference in the number
developed on random passersby; neither does the FAA permit experi- of permits and the number of VSSAs. Additionally, however, there are
mental aircraft designs to be tested over densely populated areas.” And two instances in which a single company has filed two VSSA reports.

(Source: Argo AI)

www.eetimes.eu | JUNE 2021