Media Contact: Shane Austin,
saustin@saferoads.org
202.425.2776
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Statement by Cathy Chase, President of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates), on Action Announced Today by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to Fast-Track Autonomous Vehicle (AV) Deployment
(Washington, D.C. | July 30, 2026) Today’s announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) on efforts by the agency to “safely fast-track autonomous vehicle (AV) innovation” highlights the need for federal performance standards for this technology. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) supports comprehensive minimum safety standards as outlined in the AV Tenets, a guide to the development of federal policy on the deployment of AVs which prioritizes the safety of all road users. They were unveiled by Advocates and others in 2020, are supported by 70 organizations and remain relevant to ensuring the technology will deliver the promised societal benefits.
Any new standards should be developed through the traditional federal rulemaking process which gives safety experts, state and local officials, emergency responders, disability rights advocates, vulnerable road users, consumers, related industries and other stakeholders the opportunity to meaningfully participate.
The proposed A2SCEND consortium may help gather useful information, but an industry partnership and voluntary guidance cannot be a substitute for binding federal requirements. At a minimum, AV standards should address collision avoidance systems, cybersecurity, remote personnel and operational design domains, among others. This includes the requirement of a “vision test” to ensure AVs will detect and respond safely to all people, vehicles and objects in the roadway environment under the conditions in which they operate.
The public is asking for these protections. In a national survey conducted in March, 81 percent of respondents expressed concern about sharing the road with driverless cars, while 61 percent said minimum government safety requirements would address their concerns. Seventy-six percent supported requiring AVs to pass a “vision test.”
We remain concerned by NHTSA’s decision to allow Zoox to commercially deploy up to 2,500 exempt vehicles annually for two years. In comments filed in April, we expressed how Zoox had not provided sufficient publicly available testing, research, data and analysis to demonstrate that its vehicles would provide an overall level of safety at least equal to compliant vehicles.
Similarly, any changes intended to expand or streamline exemptions for AVs must preserve rigorous safety reviews by NHTSA, a public notice and comment period, meaningful limits and ongoing oversight. Exemptions should remain the exception, not become an alternative to compliance with federal safety standards. We will carefully review the Robomart application and submit comments to the public docket.
As AVs increasingly operate on public roadways, comprehensive data collection is essential. We cannot rely solely on industry safety claims. NHTSA’s Standing General Order (SG) 2021-01 has documented thousands of crashes involving automated driving systems (ADS) and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), including 61 crashes resulting in a fatality through June 15, 2026. We strongly support the AV Safety Data Act (S. 3742 / H.R. 4376), sponsored by Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Kevin Mullin (D-CA), to improve safety and incident reporting for vehicles equipped with an ADS and make the SGO to compel such reporting permanent.
Advocates also supports the AV Emergency Response Coordination Act to establish minimum standards for how AVs and AV operators work with emergency responders to improve safety, which was introduced this week by Rep. Mullin (D-CA). Additionally, we urge Congress to advance the Stay in Your Lane Act (S. 3536), co-sponsored by Sens. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), to compel manufacturers of vehicles equipped with an ADS to identify the operation design domain (ODD) for which the systems can safely operate and restrict operations to such.
Lastly, until comprehensive federal protections are established, states and local jurisdictions must retain their authority to enact measures to protect road users.
Innovation and safety can and must advance together. We look forward to continuing to work with NHTSA, Congress and all stakeholders in furtherance of the shared goal of reducing our Nation’s unacceptable motor vehicle crash death and injury toll.
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About Advocates
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety is an alliance of consumer, medical, public health, law enforcement and safety groups and insurance companies and agents working together to make America’s roads safer. Advocates’ mission is the adoption of federal and state laws, policies and programs that prevent motor vehicle crashes, save lives, reduce injuries, and contain costs.