US agency orders autonomous vehicle makers to report crashes

The directive comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration dispatched special investigation teams to 31 crashes involving partially automated driver-assist systems since June 2016.

The United States government’s highway safety agency has ordered automakers to report any crashes involving fully autonomous vehicles or partially automated driver-assist systems. The move Tuesday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates the agency is taking a tougher stance on automated vehicle safety than in the past. It has been reluctant to issue any regulations of the new technology for fear of hampering the adoption of the potentially life-saving systems. The order requires vehicle and equipment manufacturers and companies that operate the vehicles to report crashes on public roads involving fully autonomous vehicles, or those in which driver-assist systems were operating immediately before or during a crash.