The NHTSA can also exempt, or AVs, for research and demonstration purposes. Carlson said the agency is looking to establish a new program that"would provide additional transparency about AV safety and deployment while giving the public assurance that NHTSA is overseeing the deployment of AVs on our public streets."
Congress has been debating for years whether to pass legislation on self-driving cars, and a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee is planning a hearing later this month. In 2017, the House passed legislation to speed the adoption of self-driving cars, bar states from setting performance standards and expand the number of vehicles that could be deployed with exemptions, but the measure never passed the Senate.
In December, the NHTSA opened a formal safety probe into the autonomous driving system in vehicles produced by Cruise after reports of two injuries in rear-end crashes. The NHTSA said Cruise vehicles"may engage in inappropriately hard braking or become immobilized."