Noncompliant AVs will no longer be stuck waiting for years for approval to operate on U.S. roads
WASHINGTON — U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy today announced that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will further accelerate the safe development of automated vehicles by streamlining the Part 555 exemption process.
The exemption will continue to allow manufacturers to sell up to 2,500 motor vehicles per year that do not fully comply with the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. This includes vehicles that do not have traditional steering wheels, driver-operated brakes, or rearview mirrors. Manufacturers must demonstrate that their vehicles provide an equivalent safety level as compliant vehicles and that the exemption is in the public interest. This latest development builds on Secretary Duffy’s innovation agenda and NHTSA’s AV Framework. (....)