The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has issued a directive to autonomous vehicle developers, stating that it is unacceptable for their vehicles to interfere with first responders or law enforcement. The agency has identified a pattern of driverless vehicles interfering with emergency scenes, blocking ambulances and firefighters, or failing to recognize basic safety conditions.
The directive comes after instances of Waymo vehicles, which operate the largest robotaxi fleet in the US, having repeated run-ins with first responders. In at least six incidents, first responders had to take control of Waymo vehicles and move them out of traffic during emergency situations.
The NHTSA has demanded that AV developers present their solutions to this problem by the end of the month, implying that companies could be held accountable if they fail to comply. The agency is also making progress on updating Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards requirements, which could help autonomous vehicle companies like Tesla and Zoox.
