WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has told autonomous vehicle developers to address safety failures that have led some driverless vehicles to interfere with emergency responders, warning that the issue is unacceptable and needs to be fixed quickly.
In a letter sent Wednesday, NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison said the agency has identified a 'clear pattern' of autonomous vehicles driving into active emergency scenes, blocking ambulances and fire trucks, and failing to react appropriately to flashing lights, traffic cones, smoke, fire, and other emergency conditions. He said these incidents are not rare 'edge cases,' but point to a meaningful gap in real-world performance.
NHTSA instructed developers and operators to submit their proposed solutions by the end of July. The letter does not name specific companies, but it is expected to affect robotaxi operators such as Waymo, which has previously faced incidents where first responders had to manually move its vehicles during emergencies.
The agency did not outline specific penalties for noncompliance but said autonomous vehicle companies could be held to standards similar to those applied to human drivers who obstruct emergency operations. Separately, NHTSA said it is continuing work to update Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to better accommodate fully autonomous vehicles.
Proposed changes could remove requirements for features such as steering wheels, pedals, windshield wipers, sun visors, and defogging systems in vehicles designed to operate without human drivers-potentially benefiting companies including Tesla and Zoox.
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