What We’re Reading

March 30, 2022

• NHTSA to Review if Pony.ai Complied with Crash Reporting Order (Insurance Journal, March 29, 2022)

  The autonomous driving technology startup Pony.ai may not have complied with NHTSA’s reporting obligations for crashes involving autonomous technologies.  The crash at issue occurred late last year in Fremont, CA when a Pony.ai vehicle hit a street sign.  No injuries were reported.  The crash also prompted a recall. 

  Will NHTSA clarify its reporting obligations for OEMs and others implicated by its June 2021 Standing General Order?

• AAI seeks to reduce ‘persistent confusion’ over levels of vehicle autonomy (Repairer Driven News, March 23, 2022)

  The AAI is seeking clarification with its recent request to SAE International to discuss changes to SAE’s well-recognized Levels of Driving Automation. “The Alliance’s outreach comes amid mounting evidence of consumer misuse of Level 2 systems as they become more common on America’s roadways. General Motors (Super Cruise), Ford (BlueCruise), and Tesla (Autopilot with Full Self-Driving) are among those currently offering such systems, and more advanced levels of driving technology are on the way from Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Stellantis, and Volvo, among others.”

• Sen. Thune Again Highlights AV Bill’s Safety Benefits

  Congressional attention around nationwide safety and connectivity benefits of AVs continues as the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation considered how a “national framework on autonomous vehicles would pave the way for improvements in freight connectivity and boost the overall safety of motorists across mobility networks,” and the Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research in Vehicle Evolution (SELF DRIVE) Act was reintroduced in the House.