Automated Driving Systems: Voluntary Safety Self-Assessments; Public Workshop

Nathaniel Beuse
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
17 October 2017

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 199 (Tuesday, October 17, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48312-48314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-22058]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2017-0086]


Automated Driving Systems: Voluntary Safety Self-Assessments; 
Public Workshop

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of public workshop.

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SUMMARY: On September 12, 2017, NHTSA published Automated Driving 
Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety. This voluntary guidance encourages 
entities involved in the testing and deployment of Automated Driving 
Systems on public roads to document for themselves how they are 
addressing safety. Further, the Guidance recommends that these same 
entities summarize their assessments and make it available to the 
public via Voluntary Safety Self-Assessments. NHTSA is announcing a 
public workshop to support entities that wish to make their self-
assessment publicly available. The Agency emphasizes that the workshop 
is not intended to be a tutorial for a prescriptive document. NHTSA 
hopes to hear from entities if there are any challenges that would make 
it difficult for an entity to publicly disclose any portion of a 
Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment in a summary document, and discuss how 
those challenges might be overcome or mitigated. To provide the most 
benefit, this workshop will encourage active, focused participation.

DATES: NHTSA will hold the public workshop on October 20, 2017, from 10 
a.m. to 3 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. Check-in will begin at 9 a.m. 
Attendees should arrive early enough to enable them to go through 
security by 9:50 a.m. The formal docket comment period will close on 
December 18, 2017, but the Agency will continue to accept comments to 
the docket.

ADDRESSES: The public workshop will be held at DOT Headquarters, 
located at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590 (Green Line 
Metro station at Navy Yard) in the [Oklahoma City Conference Room]. 
This facility is accessible to individuals with disabilities.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about the public 
workshop, please contact NHTSA staff at av_info_nhtsa@dot.gov or Debbie 
Sweet at 202-366-7179.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Registration is necessary for all attendees. 
Attendees should register online at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeLcUn2Dw2fNWEa8f9zWh7NkleQgNv5GreVaP_I_Rv_sb6X8w/viewform?usp=sf_link by October 17, 2017. Please provide your name, 
email address, and affiliation. Also indicate whether you plan to 
participate actively in the workshop (speaking would be limited to 5 
minutes per agenda topic), and whether you require accommodations such 
as a sign language interpreter. Space is limited, so advanced 
registration is highly encouraged.
    Docket: Docket NHTSA-2017-0086 is available for members of the 
public to submit written comments regarding the Voluntary Safety Self-
Assessment as laid out in Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for 
Safety. The formal docket comment period will close on December 18, 
2017, but the Agency will continue to accept comments to the docket. 
For access to the docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov at any time 
or to 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Ground Floor, Room 
W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal Holidays. Telephone: 202-366-9826.
    Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review the 
DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published 
on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78), by visiting 
http://www.dot.gov/privacy.html.

Background

    On September 20, 2016, NHTSA released and published for comment the 
Federal Automated Vehicles Policy. The comment period officially closed 
on November 22, 2016, but comments were considered through February 16, 
2017. NHTSA analyzed the docket comments, public meeting proceedings 
and other stakeholder discussions, Congressional hearings, and State 
activities and published on September 12, 2017, Automated Driving 
Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety.\1\ This notice focuses on Section I 
of that document.
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    \1\ Available at https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/documents/13069a-ads2.0_090617_v9a_tag.pdf.
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    Section 1: Voluntary Guidance for Automated Driving Systems 
(Voluntary Guidance) provides recommendations and suggestions for 
industry's

[[Page 48313]]

consideration and discussion. This Voluntary Guidance includes no 
compliance requirement or enforcement mechanism. The purpose of this 
Voluntary Guidance is to support the industry as it develops best 
practices in the design, development, testing, and deployment of 
automated vehicle technologies. It is a non-regulatory approach to the 
safety of Automated Driving Systems (ADS) (SAE International automation 
Levels 3 through 5--Conditional, High, and Full Automation Systems).
    NHTSA offers the Voluntary Guidance to help designers of ADSs 
analyze, identify, and resolve safety considerations prior to 
deployment using their own industry and other best practices. The 
Voluntary Guidance outlines 12 safety elements which the Agency 
believes represent the consensus across the industry, that are 
generally considered to be the most salient design aspects to consider 
and address when developing, testing, and deploying ADSs on public 
roadways. Among these elements are vehicle cybersecurity, human machine 
interface, crashworthiness, consumer education and training, and post-
crash ADS behavior. Within each safety design element, entities are 
encouraged to consider and document their use of industry standards, 
best practices, company policies, or other methods they have employed 
to provide for increased system safety in real-world conditions.
    In addition, the Voluntary Guidance encourages entities engaged in 
testing and deployment to prepare and publicly disclose Voluntary 
Safety Self-Assessments of their systems demonstrating their varied 
approaches to achieving safety. The Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment is 
intended to communicate to the public (particularly States and 
consumers) that entities are:
    (1) Considering the safety aspects of ADSs;
    (2) communicating and collaborating with DOT;
    (3) encouraging the self-establishment of industry safety norms for 
ADSs; and
    (4) building public trust, acceptance, and confidence through 
transparent testing and deployment of ADSs.
    It also allows companies an opportunity to showcase their approach 
to safety, without needing to reveal proprietary intellectual property. 
NHTSA expects much of the work associated with the consideration of the 
12 safety elements in the Voluntary Guidance to be an extension of good 
and safe engineering practices already in place within an entity, 
therefore entities will have access to all the information needed to 
craft a Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment if they so choose. NHTSA 
envisions the Voluntary Safety Self-Assessments would contain concise 
summary information on these practices.

Public Workshop Details

    With new information in the safety elements and a new means for 
disclosing an assessment summary to the public provided in Automated 
Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety, NHTSA is holding a public 
workshop to engage stakeholders and assist entities as they develop a 
Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment as well as clarify and address 
concerns for those entities looking to disclose such information to the 
public.
    The public workshop will include representatives from entities 
developing a Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment, States looking to review 
Voluntary Safety Self-Assessments, members of the public interested in 
reading the Voluntary Safety Self-Assessments to understand the steps 
taken to address the safety of ADSs, and other Voluntary Safety Self-
Assessment users. The open discussion among these interested parties 
will serve to assist in the development of the most broadly beneficial 
Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment. Discussion at the workshop will 
include:
    (1) How entities might summarize efforts they already undertake in 
addressing the safety elements provided in the Voluntary Guidance;
    (2) challenges entities face in developing their summary statements 
for the Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment and the means to overcome 
them;
    (3) information helpful to stakeholders looking to use the 
Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment; and
    (4) methods by which an entity may publicly disclose the Voluntary 
Safety Self-Assessment.
    A template of the types of summary information an entity might 
provide in a Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment is provided below. The 
example is being provided as an effort to offer assistance in the 
development of a Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment and to guide 
discussion during the public workshop. This template illustrates the 
type of summary information that may be provided for the safety element 
of Crashworthiness, just one of the 12 safety elements presented in the 
Voluntary Guidance. The details in the template are based on a 
fictitious vehicle and provided for illustration, guidance, and 
discussion purposes only. This fictitious vehicle is one that has 
received necessary exemptions from NHTSA. It is a Level 4 ride-share 
vehicle with four seats and two large doors. We are providing one 
safety element example for the template, however all safety elements 
are open for discussion at the public workshop. Stakeholders are 
encouraged to review this information and determine how this aligns 
with their ideas regarding the development of a Voluntary Safety Self-
Assessment.

Crashworthiness

Structural Integrity

     Summary of crash simulation scenarios, component testing, 
and physical tests.
     Summary of bench marks for testing.

Protection of Occupants in the Vehicle

     Summary information about how the vehicle design leverages 
industry best practices and internal standards for crashworthiness.
     If the vehicle contains a non-traditional seating 
configuration, include summary information related to the following:
    [cir] Protection for the occupants expected to use the vehicle.
    [cir] Testing and countermeasures related to crash impact 
protection and the impact directions considered.
    [cir] If appropriate, discussion of methods related to rollover 
protection.
     If the vehicle will transport children (those under age 
12), a summary of child passenger safety measures to address:
    [cir] Child occupant detection and accommodations;
    [cir] Car seat use: Anchors, tethers, designated seat locations; 
and
    [cir] Booster seat use and designated seat locations.

Protection of Other Road Users

     Summary information of how the vehicle considers crash 
forces from other road vehicles or the infrastructure.
     Summary information of how the vehicle seeks to mitigate 
injuries to pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
    The public workshop is formatted for active participation and open 
discussion. The intention is to seek input from stakeholders to provide 
the greatest assistance to entities to develop a Voluntary Safety Self-
Assessment. NHTSA will begin the workshop with a presentation of the 
safety elements included in the Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision 
for Safety, the Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment and its content, and 
the template provided

[[Page 48314]]

in this notice. Participants should be prepared to discuss their 
reaction to the template. Further discussion at the public workshop may 
include other safety elements as well as public disclosure of the 
Voluntary Assessment.
    NHTSA will conduct the public workshop informally; thus, technical 
rules of evidence will not apply. We will arrange for a written 
transcript of the workshop. You may make arrangements for copies of the 
transcripts directly with the court reporter. The transcript will also 
be posted in the docket when it becomes available.
    Should it be necessary to cancel the workshop due to inclement 
weather or other emergency, NHTSA will take all available measures to 
notify registered participants.

Draft Workshop Agenda

9-10 a.m. Arrival/Check-In through Security
10-10:10 a.m. Welcome/Important Notices
10:10-10:30 a.m. NHTSA Presentation
10:30-12 a.m. Presentation by Stakeholder Representatives
12 a.m.-1 p.m. Lunch (not provided)
1-1:45 p.m. Open Discussion Regarding Challenges to Disclosure
1:45-2:30 p.m. Open Discussion Regarding Approaches to Public 
Disclosure
2:30-2:50 p.m. Open Discussion
2:50-3 p.m. Closing Remarks/Adjourn

    Issued in Washington, DC, under authority delegated by 49 CFR 
1.95.
Nathaniel Beuse,
Associate Administrator for Vehicle Safety Research.
[FR Doc. 2017-22058 Filed 10-16-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-59-P