NHTSA Issues Updated Automated Driving Systems Guidance

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”) of the United States Department of Transportation (“DOT”) issued Automated Driving Systems: A Vision for Safety on September 12, 2017 (the “2017 Guidance”). This 2017 Guidance updates and replaces the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy (“2016 Policy”) released by NHTSA on September 20, 2016 and serves as NHTSA’s current operating guidance for automated driving systems (“ADSs”). NHTSA indicated that they will update the 2017 Guidance periodically to reflect advances in technology, increased presence of ADSs on public roadways, and any regulatory action or statutory changes that might occur on the federal or state levels.