This Policy has been issued as agency guidance rather than in a rulemaking in order to speed the delivery of an initial regulatory framework and best practices to guide manufacturers and other entities in the safe design, development, testing, and deployment of highly automated vehicles (HAVs).
Name in original language
Federal Automated Vehicles Policy
Initiative overview
In September 2016, NHTSA and the U.S. Department of Transportation issued the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy which set forth a proactive approach to providing safety assurance and facilitating innovation. Building on that policy and incorporating feedback received through public comments, stakeholder meetings, and Congressional hearings, in September 2017, the agency issued, Automated Driving Systems: A Vision for Safety 2.0. The updated guidance, 2.0, offers a flexible, nonregulatory approach to automated vehicle technology safety, by supporting the automotive industry and other key stakeholders as they consider and design best practices for the safe testing and deployment of ADS levels 3 through 5. It also provides technical assistance to states and best practices for policymakers regarding ADS. In October 2018, U.S. DOT released Preparing for the Future of Transportation: Automated Vehicles 3.0, which builds upon ” but does not replace ” the voluntary guidance provided in 2.0. AV 3.0 expands the scope to all surface on-road transportation systems, and was developed through input from a diverse set of stakeholder engagements throughout the nation. AV 3.0 is structured around three key areas: Advancing multi-modal safety,Reducing policy uncertainty, andOutlining a process for working with U.S. DOT. The U.S. DOT sees AV 3.0 as the beginning of a national discussion about the future of our on-road surface transportation system. As automated technologies advance, so will the department's guidance. The guidance is intended to be flexible and to evolve as technology does, but with safety always as the top priority.The initiative has the following objective(s):To speed the delivery of an initial regulatory framework and best practices to guide manufacturers and other entities in the safe design, development, testing, and deployment of highly automated vehicles (HAVs).
Name of responsible organisation (in English)
Department of Transportation (DOT)
