US government issues strict requirements for self-driving car manufacturers

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has demanded that companies developing autonomous vehicles immediately stop interfering with the operations of emergency services. In an official directive sent by agency head Jonathan Morrison, it was emphasized that self-driving cars obstructing rescuers and law enforcement officers is completely unacceptable. This is reported by Techcrunch.com reports .

According to NHTSA data, a dangerous trend is being observed with autonomous systems: driverless cars are entering incident scenes and blocking the paths of ambulances and fire trucks. Worst of all, these technologies do not always correctly identify basic safety signals such as flashing lights, smoke, fire, and road cones. According to TechCrunch, developers must provide a solution to this problem by the end of this month.

Serious flaws in the safety system

In his letter, Morrison sternly warned companies, labeling the inability to detect emergency situations a "functional deficiency." According to him, such incidents are not rare exceptions but an integral part of daily traffic. Therefore, AV (autonomous vehicle) developers must direct all their resources toward fixing this systemic error.

Although no specific company was named in the official letter, experts say this requirement primarily applies to major robotaxi operators like Waymo. Investigations by TechCrunch show that at least six serious incidents involving Waymo vehicles have been recorded in cities such as Los Angeles, Phoenix, and San Francisco. In some situations, rescuers were forced to take manual control to move the vehicle off the road.

Human life and technological responsibility

The agency stated that it will hold companies operating self-driving cars accountable just like regular drivers. "Every second counts when law enforcement or doctors are responding to a call, because human life is at stake," the NHTSA statement says. Typically, drivers who interfere with emergency services are fined or imprisoned, and now this rule may be applied to tech giants as well.

At the same time, the NHTSA is working on updating federal safety standards (FMVSS) for companies like Tesla and Zoox. In the future, mandatory requirements such as windshield wipers or sun visors for vehicles produced without steering wheels and pedals are expected to be abolished. However, such technological leniencies will only be granted once the vehicles' safety systems reach a perfect level.

At a time when interest in smart city technologies and autonomous driving systems is growing in Uzbekistan, this experience in the US is of great importance. The entry of self-driving vehicles onto public roads requires not only convenience but also a high level of responsibility, which is inextricably linked to emergency services.