Safety

Considerationsfor

AutonomousVehicles

FreshConsulting

2

TableofContents

3Intro

5CurrentStateoftheIndustry

10ThePlayers:Companies,Governments,andAdvocacyGroups

23SafetyConsiderationsforAutonomousVehiclesandRobotics

32OutlookandPredictions

Intro

Fullyautonomousvehicleshavethepotentialtofreeuphumantimeand

attention,whileultimatelymakingtransportationsafer.Theroadtoperfectingthistechnologyislong,butengineershavebeenworkingtowardsrealizingthetechnologyforalmost100years.

Infiveyears,theself-drivingcarwillcelebrateitsone-hundredthbirthday.Yes,self-drivingvehiclesarealmostacenturyold.

In1925,theHoudinaRadioControlcompanydebutedthe“

AmericanWonder

,”

a1926Chandlerautomobilethatwasequippedwithradio-controlledsteering.1

Houdina’steamfollowedtheAmericanWonderdownthestreetsofNewYork,

controllingitviaremotecontrol.Inthelate‘70s,Stanfordresearcherscreatedwhatcouldbeconsideredthefirstexampleoftrulyautonomousdriving;their

Stanford

Cart

wasabletoindependentlynavigatearoomfullofchairsin5hours.2Thecartpausedfor10to15minutesaftereverymeteroftraveltoevaluateitssurroundingsandchooseitsnextpath.

We’vecomealongwaysincetheseprojects—inthe1990s,engineerswerefinallyabletocreatefully-autonomouscarsthattravelatspeedsacceptableforUS

roadways.Thetechhasnotdevelopedinavacuum;everyotherareaofthetechindustryhasadvancedaswell,broadeningthecapabilitiesofthemodernself-

drivingvehicle.Today,semi-autonomoussystems,like

Tesla’sAutopilot

,areso

capablethatcustomersfeelcomfortableputtingtheir

vehicleonautopilot

for95percentofacoast-to-coastroadtrip.34

3

We’restillafewyearsawayfrombeingabletocatchaself-drivingcab,butstill

closerthanmostpeopleprobablyrealize.Ifthetechnologyforautonomous

vehicleshasbeenaroundsinceatleastthe90s,whyhaven’tweseenmore

Level3

andLevel4autonomousvehicles

5availableforpurchasebythepublic?

Theanswertothisquestioncomesdowntooneareaoftheautonomousvehicleindustry:safety.Safetyisperhapsthemostchallengingaspectofcreating

areliableautonomousvehicle,ataskthatisalreadyimmenselychallenging.

Maintainingsafetyinavehiclewithoutahumanbehindthewheelrequires

adaptability,predictivebehavior,advancedcomputervision,legislation,anddata-basedresearch,allofwhichhavetakenthelastthirtyyearstoreachnear-maturity.

Throughoutthispaper,we’lldiscusstheobstaclestosafetyintheautonomous

vehicleindustry,thereasonit’ssoessentialtorealizingtheautonomousvehicle

vision,andthekeyplayerspropellingthatvisionforward.Anewtechnologyleapisjustafewstepsawayfromhittingthemarket,andinthisreport,we’llcoverwhatit’sgoingtotaketocompletethosefinalsteps.

CurrentStateoftheIndustry

Forsomanygenerations,self-drivingvehicleshavebeenafantasyforscientists

andconsumersalike,capturingimaginationsacrossfilmandliterature.Overthe

lastdecade,however,thatfantasyhasquicklysteppedintoreality,andforthefirsttimewe’rebeginningtoseehigh-levelautonomousvehicleswithintheautomotiveindustry.Whilethistechnologyhasrapidlyprogressed,thesafetystandardsand

regulationshavelagged,andwenowfindourselvesatapointintimewherethetechisrapidlyapproachingfruition,butourinfrastructureandregulationisnotmovingwiththesamevigor.

SafetyastheBasisforAutonomousVehicles

Despitehowclosewearetoself-drivingcars,completelyautomatedhighwaysstillseemlikeathingofthefuture.Thoughit’seasytosaythatself-drivingcarshave

startedtoenterthemainstreamoverthelastdecadethankstocompanieslike

Tesla,thisisn’tanentirelyaccuratepictureofautonomousvehicles.Itwasactuallyin1995,whenagroupfrom

CarnegieMellonUniversity

drove(orrodein)a98.2%autonomousvehicleacrossAmerica,thatthefirstimagesofautomatedcarsreallystartedtocomeintofocus.6

Giventhatridingacrossthecountryinanautonomousvehiclewasalreadypossiblein1995,youmaybewonderingwhattheholdupisinbringingautonomousvehiclestoconsumers.Howweretheseyoungscientistsabletoaccomplishsomethingthatthebiggestmotorvehiclecompaniesintheworldstillhaveyettoachieve?

5

6

Theanswer,ofcourse,liesinthatlast1.8%ofautomation,arguablythemost

importantsliceofthepercentagepie.Thatpercentistheautomationofthe

unpredictable—makingself-drivingvehicles100%safeinsituationsthattypicalengineeringcan’taccountfor.Thisincludeswater-filledpotholesthattrickvehiclesensors,pedestriansonthesideoftheroadsuddenlydecidingtocrossthestreet,looseterrain,glareinterferingwithcameras,fallenpowerlines,iceontheroads,andfallingobjects,justtonameafewchallenges.Thelast1.8%includesanythingthatahumanbraincouldquicklyadaptto,butthatrequiresmoresubtletythan

mostcomputerscienceiscurrentlycapableof.

Withouta100%safetyguaranteeofautonomousvehicles,we’reunlikelytoseethemadoptedintodailyroutines.

SafetyastheLongPole

SinceDARPAfirstheldaseriesofdriverlessvehiclecompetitionsbetween2005

and2007,self-drivingvehicleshavebeeninR&Dmode,withcompaniesallovertheworldstrivingtocreatethemostfeature-rich,excitingdriverlesscartheworldhaseverseen.Intheprocess,though,safetyhasbeenputonthebackburner,delayingthepossibilityofautonomousvehiclesforeveryone.Therehasbeenalackof

companyandindustryinvestmentintheearlydevelopmentphasesforautonomousvehicles,whichincludesafety.Safetyistime-andcapital-intensive,andventure

capitalistswillneedtoaccommodatethiswithintheirinvestmentportfolioin

orderfortheindustrytoreachthelevelsofreliabilityneededtosendautonomousvehiclesoutontopublicroadways.

Althoughit’stakenalongtime(andwillcontinuetotakesometime)toachieve

full100%reliabilityinautonomousvehicles,that’scertainlynottosaythatno

progresshasbeenmadeinthelast25years.Inthelastfiveyearsalone,theself-drivingindustryhasmademajorstrides,bringingsubstantialautomatedfeaturestoconsumerandindustrialvehiclesalike.Thesefeaturesarealsobecomingmoreaffordable,increasingthespreadofthetechnology.

Today,companiesarefinallystartingtohavethetechnologyavailabletobring

automatedvehiclesonpublicroadwaysenmasse;inthepast6-12months,

numerouscompanieshavebeenreadyingtheirLevel3and4vehicledeployments.Whileexciting,thisfurtherhighlightstheneedfor(andabsenceof)modernsafetyregulationsandimplementationswithintheautonomousvehicleindustry.

Therearestandardsandcertificationsforvehiclesandroadwaysthroughoutall

ofthemodernworld.Whiletheseregulationsarerelevanttoautonomousvehicle

safety,theydon’tcoverthebroadanduniqueconcernsofallowingautonomous

vehiclesonpublicroadways.Trafficlawsandinsuranceregulationsneedclearer

directivesaswellasautonomousvehicleindustrystandardsandrequirements.ForLevel3,4,and5autonomousvehiclestostartleavingthefactoryfloor,it’sessentialthatthetechnologybecomeregulatedwithsafetyasthetoppriority.Then,and

onlythen,willweseeself-drivingcartechnologymovefromexcitingtopractical.

7

8

ChallengesofSafetyinAutonomousVehicles

We’veestablishedwhysafetymattersandshownhow,byignoringsafetyforthesakeofdevelopment,thespeedofautonomousvehicledeploymenthasbeen

hampered.However,weareyettodiveintothecomplexitiesandchallengesofimplementingsafetyinautonomousvehicles.

Wetendtotakethedifficultyofdrivingavehicleforgranted,consideringthatmostteenagerslearnhowtodoitsuccessfullyinafewmonths.Butthehumanbrainis

abletoadapttounpredictablecircumstances,andthehumaneyeismorecapablethanmostautonomoussensorsandautonomousvehicleAI

(artificialintelligence)

7.

Tryingtoapproximatethecapabilitiesandsituationalawarenessofthehuman

braininavehicleleadstocreatingamachinethatisoverwhelminglycomplicated.Thechallengeofimplementingsafetyintoanautonomousvehiclemeansnotonlyaccountingforunpredictablecircumstancesontheroad,butalsothepotential

errors,bugs,andshortcomingsofeverypieceoftechwithinthevehicle.Creatingastandardizedmeansforevaluatingeachsensor,circuitboard,andalgorithm—withoutanylong-termdatatobasethesedecisionson—willsettheautomobileindustrybackseveraldecades,despitehowforward-lookingthetechnologyis.

9

Additionally,there’stheissueofhowquicklythetechnologyandoursocietyis

goingtochangeoncethesevehiclesareontheroad.Youcanviewthisona

smallscalebylookingatdocklessscooters,whichhavebecomecommonplace

inmostmajorU.S.cities.Almostovernight,thesedevicesexplodedinpopularity.

However,theyalsoposedunpredictedissuesthatnocityhadeverdealtwith

before:amassiveincreaseintwo-wheeledtraffic,electricscootersandbikesbeingabandonedinrandomareas,andnoobviousaccountabilityforaccidentsandleftdevices.

Withself-drivingvehicles,thereareboundtobeevenmoreunanticipatedissues.Theywillchangeparkinglaws,accountability,insurance,vehicle-on-pedestrianaccidents,commuting,publictransportation,lawenforcement,speedlimits,andmuchmore.Alackofconsistentregulationandindustrystandardswillcompoundtheseissues,creatingasituationthatisfarmorecomplicatedandnuancedthanthechallengesof

micro-transportation

.8

Finally,enduserandmarketperceptionisanimportantconsideration.Therewillnotonlyneedtobeaframeworkforreliablydeveloping,testing,andregulatingautonomousvehicles,butcompanieswillalsoneedtoconvinceconsumersthattheirsolutionshavebeenrigorouslytestedtoensuretherearenogapsinthe

vehiclecapabilities.Inshort,therearemanyhurdleslefttoclearbeforewe’llseeself-drivingvehiclesbecomeubiquitous.

ThePlayers:Companies,

Governments,andAdvocacy

Groups

Althoughthereareseveralexcitingnewindustriesonthehorizon,including

augmentedreality

9,robotics,andtheInternetofThings,nonehavegenerated

abuzzthatrivalstheexcitementofautonomousvehicles.This,coupledwiththe

complexlegalimplicationsofself-drivingvehicles,hasledestablishedautomotivecompanies,techcompanies,startups,governmentagencies,international

organizations,andadvocacygroupstoparticipateinthedevelopmentof

autonomousvehicles.Below,we’vecompiledalistofsomemajorindustryplayersworkingtoadvancesafetyintheautonomoussector.

10

Companies

Waymo

Waymo

startedin2009astheGoogleSelf-DrivingCarProject.10Sincethen,the

projecthasbecomeitsowncompany.Waymowasthefirstcompanytoplacea

fullydriverlessvehicleonpublicroads,deployingavehiclethathad

nosteering

wheelorfloorpedals

onAustinroadsin2015.11Itwasalsothefirstcompanytooffer

driverlessrideservice

inPhoenix.12

Waymohasbeenoneofthemostprominentfiguresintheself-drivingindustry

topushforsafetystandards.Ina2018

reportbytheCaliforniaDMV,

Waymoledtheindustryinbothsafetyanddistance,reportingthemostmileagecoveredwiththeleastamountofincidents.13Waymo’svehiclewasshowntoaccuratelypredictcyclistbehavior,detectchildrenatacrosswalk,andotherimpressivefeats.

11

ImageSource:

Waymo

12

Edge-Case-Research

Edge-Case-Research

isacompanyfoundedbyautonomyexpertsfromCarnegieMellonUniversity,whosestudentsledoneofthefirstautonomousroadtrips.14

Thecompanyworkswithbusinessesdevelopingautonomoussystems,primarilyautonomousvehicles,toensuretheendproductisn’tjustexcitingandfeature-packed,butalsorigorouslytestedforsafety.

Edge-Case-Researchoffers

products

designedtotacklesafetyintheautonomousvehicleindustry.15Hologramisoneoftheirprogramsthattestsroadperception

systemsinsituationsthatcancausethemtofail.AndSwitchboardoffersasimplestress-testenginethatrandomly“

fuzzes

”anAIsystemtocheckforvulnerabilities.16

OEMs(OriginalEquipmentManufacturers)

Althoughthetwocompanieslistedabovearepioneersofsafetyintheautonomousvehicleindustry,therearemanymorecompaniespushingtheindustryforwardwithasafety-firstmindset.Oneofthemostprominentexamplesisthe

SafetyFirstFor

AutomatedDriving

initiative,asetofguidelinesputtogetherbyelevencompaniesintheself-drivingindustry,includingAudi,BMW,FiatChrysler,andIntel.17

TheSafetyFirstforAutomatedDrivinginitiativeproposessafetystandardsthat

allsigningpartieswillaimtoadhereto,suchascreatingfallbacksincasecritical

componentsfail,implementingdefensesagainstsecuritythreatssuchashacking,andmonitoringpassengerstodeterminetheirabilitytotakeoverthevehicleinanemergency.Othercoalitionslikethishavebeenformedaswell,likethe

Self-Driving

Coalition

forSaferStreets,showingthatautonomousvehiclemanufacturers

areactivelyworkingtocreatesafetyregulationswithintheindustry.18Anothercollectiveprojectworthmentioningisthe

AutonomousVehicleComputing

Consortium(AVCC)

,agroupofautomotivesuppliers,OEMs,andindustryleaders(includingBosch,Mazda,GM,Toyota,andothers)workingtocreateashared

computingarchitecturetoadvancetheworkofitsmembers.19

13

RideSharingCompanies

Theriseofautonomousvehiclesposesaninterestingquestion:ifavehicledoesn’tneedadriver,doesanyonereallyneedtoownavehicle?Public

transportationserviceshavemostlybeenlimitedtometroareasintheU.S.,

leavingindividualsinruralareasorwithlongercommutestheneedtopurchasetheirownvehicles.Butasremoteworkbecomesmorecommonplaceandself-drivingvehicleseliminatetheneedforpaiddrivers,whynothaveautonomousvehiclesavailableineverycityandtownacrossthecountry?

Thisisthevisionofjustabouteveryridesharingcompanyatthemoment.

BothLyftandUberarepursuingautonomousvehicles,claimingthatit’s

the

onlywaytheirbusinessescansurvive

inthefuture.20However,ridesharing

companies(namelyUber)havealsofacedthehighestnumberofpublicissueswhenitcomestoautonomousvehiclesafety.

Uber’sself-drivingvehicles

tragicallyhitapedestrian

inanerrorthatprovedfatal:thevehiclewasprogrammedonlytodetectpedestriansatcrosswalks,andhadnotbeentaughttorecognizejaywalkersaspedestrians.21Its

automaticemergencybrakinghadalsobeen

disabled

.22Thisisonlyoneof37crashesthatoccurredasaresultofUber’sself-drivingvehicleprogram,

highlightingtheneedforstrictsafetystandardsintheautonomousvehiclespace.

TruckingCompanies

Thetruckingindustryispositionedtobeoneofthemostsuccessfuladoptersofautomateddriving.Autonomousdrivingismuchmorepredictablethanconsumerdrivingandlargelyconsistsofmaintainingspeedandawarenessforhundredsofmiles.However,truckingisalreadya

high-fatality

23occupation,makingsafety

evenmoreimportantforsemi-trucksandotherlong-distancetransportationvehiclesthanfortheaverageconsumercar.

Onewaythattruckingcompaniesarelookingtomaximizethesafetyof

autonomousvehiclesisthrough“

platooning

.”24Platooningiswhenseveral

transportationtrucksformarowonthehighway.Withautonomoussystemsin

place,thisallowsallofthetrucksintheplatoontousedatabeinggatheredbythefirsttruck,thesecondtruck,andsoon,sothateachtruckhasanabundanceof

datatobasesafedecisionson.

Whilethisconceptworksintheory,theissueofcourseis:whathappenswhenonevehiclemisinterpretsapieceofdataandpassesittotheothertrucksascorrect?Forexample,saythere’safallentreeontheroadthatthefirsttruckdoesn’tdetect.Thecostofasinglemiscalculationinthetruckingindustrycanbemuchworsethaninotherautonomousvehicleusecases.

14

15

ManagementConsultingFirms

Managementconsultingfirms,particularlythoseinthetechindustry,areinvesting

heavilyinautonomousvehicleresearchinordertoprovidetheirclientswiththemostup-to-dateinformationpossible.Thegoalformanyofthesefirmsistoeducatetheirclientsonthepossibilitiesoftheindustry,bothgoodandbad,andonhowtoleveragetheopportunitiesautonomousvehicleswillcontinuetobring.Onewaymanagementconsultingfirmsdothisisbyobservingtheautonomousindustry’sdevelopmentin

multiplecountries

andsharingthatinformationwiththeirclients,providingaglobalperspectiveonthesector.25Otherfirms,like

CAVita

,arefocusedonhelpingpublic

andprivateentitiescapitalizeonthelesser-knownimpactsofautonomousvehicles.26

AutoInsuranceCompanies

Oneoftheindustriesexpectedtobethemostdisruptedbyautonomousvehicles

istheautoinsuranceindustry.Thisdisruptioncomesdowntoasimplequestion:in

afullyorsemi-autonomousvehicle,whoisliable,andtowhatextent?Traditional

insurancecompaniesarehavingahardtimedeterminingthis.Instead,they’reraisingratesforautonomousvehicleownerstocovertheuncertaintythesevehiclespose.

Someinsurancecompanies,like

Avinew

,arebeingfoundedsolelytoaddress

theseunknowns,offeringflexibleserviceslikereducedratesthemoredriversuseautonomousdriving.27Forthemostpart,it’sexpectedthatmanufacturerswill

assumetheresponsibilityofvehicleinsurance.Withautonomouscarsdrasticallyreducingvehicleaccidents,however,therequirementofinsurancemightbecomelessandlessimportant,whichcouldcauseinsuranceratestofallsignificantly.

Otherinsurers,likeAAA,areenthusiasticadvocatesforautonomousvehicles,

despitetheuncertainties.AAA

partnerswithWaymo

toeducateconsumers

aboutautonomousvehiclesandhelpdissuadefearsaboutafuturethatincludes

autonomousvehiclesonpublicroadways.28ThegoalofinsurerslikeAAAistocreatetransparencyaroundthestatusofautonomousvehicles,includingtheirbenefitsandlimitations,inordertocreateapathwayforsafeimplementation.

Tier1&2AutomotiveSuppliers

Tier1andTier2

29automotivesupplycompaniesareafewstepsbelowautomobile

manufacturersinthesupplychain.ATier1automotivesupplier,like

Bosch

,makes

productsexclusivelyfortheautomobileindustry:whenamanufacturerneedsapartforacar,theyorderitfromaTier1supplier.30Tier2suppliersmanufactureproductsforseveraldifferentindustries,oneofwhichmightbetheautomotiveindustry.Tier1manufacturerswillpurchasethepartstomaketheirproductsfromTier2suppliers.

Intheautonomousspace,newsuppliersarecrossingintotheautomotivesectorfromthebroadertechindustry.Companiessuchas

NVIDIA

,

Qualcomm

,and

Eyesight

Technologies

aremovingintotheautonomousspacewithsolutionsthatimprovethesafetyofself-drivingvehicles.313233

17

GovernmentOrganizations

FederalandLocalDepartmentsofTransportation(DOT)

TheFederalandLocalDepartmentsofTransportation(DOT)inAmericaarethe

mostimportantcomponentofensuringsafetyinautonomousvehicles.They’retheonlygroupthathavetheabilitytoreliablysetsafetystandardswithintheindustry,makingthemcriticaltothefutureofself-drivingcars.

Whilegoverningbodieshavebeenslowtoactonself-drivingvehiclesinthepast,theDOThasmadehugestridesinsettingguidelinesfortheindustryoverthelastfewyears.TheFederalDOT’smostrecentoutlineforsafetyregulations,

Preparing

fortheFutureofTransportation:AutomatedVehicles3.0

,addressesmany

keypointsofsafetyinautonomousvehiclesbydefiningterminology,remaining

technology-neutral,designingmoderninfrastructure,andcreatingatemplateforlocalDOTstodesigntheirownautonomousvehiclelegislation.34

FederalHighwayAdministration(FHWA)

TheFederalHighwayAdministration(FHWA)hascreateda

NationalDialogue

onHighwayAutomation

inordertoexplorethesafetyoftruckplatooning,

discussquestionssurroundingautonomousvehicleoperationsonUShighways,

andstandardizehighwayinfrastructuretobesafeforautonomousvehicles,

amongothertopics.35TheFHWA’sobjectiveistofacilitatedatacollectionand

collaborationbetweenpublicagenciesandindustryleadersinordertocreatesaferegulationsforautonomousvehiclesonroadways.TheFHWAhavealsobegun

sometestingprojects,suchas

testingtrafficcontrolalgorithms

androadsideequipmentthatcouldcommunicatewithautonomousvehicles.36

18

NationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministration(NHTSA)

TheNationalHighwayTrafficSafetyAdministration(NHTSA)supportstheremoval

ofregulatorybarriersthatwouldimpedetheadvancementofsafeautonomous

vehicles.Thisorganizationworkstoensureautonomousvehiclesundergorigorous

labtestingandsimulationspriortobeingtestedontracksthatmimicpublicroadwayconditions.TheNHTSAhasa

brightoutlook

onthefutureofautonomousvehicles,

butplanstoensurethesevehiclesarefullyroad-readybeforeallowingthemonpublicroads.37

NationalTravelandSafetyBoard(NTSB)

TheNationalTravelandSafetyBoard(NTSB)isanindependentU.S.governmentagencythatinvestigatesaccidentsinciviltransportation.Assuch,theNTSBhasinvestigatednearlyeveryautonomousvehicleaccidenttodate,

determiningand

publicizingthecause

.38

Thishastwoimportanteffectsontheautonomousindustry.First,itensuresthat

acertainlevelofaccountabilityismaintainedwithintheindustry,andsecond,it

ensuresthatthepublichasdirectinsightsintoaccidentsrelatedtoself-driving

vehicles.Asautonomousvehiclesbecomemoremainstream,it’spossiblethattheNTSBwillmovetoinvestigatingonlymajoraccidents,butfornow,it’sexpectedthateveryautonomousvehicleaccidentwillleadtoanNTSBinvestigation.

FederalCommunicationsCommission(FCC)

The

FCC

,orFederalCommunicationsCommission,isoneofthebetterknown

agenciesinthegovernmentforitsroleinregulatingtechnology.39Specifically,

theFCCregulatesanytechnologyusedforcommunication,suchastheinternet,radio,cable,andsatellite.TheFCCplaysaspecificroleintheself-drivingindustry,regulatingif,how,andwhenautonomousvehiclescancommunicatewithone

another.

19

It’snotclearexactlywhenthiscommunicationtechwillbewidelyimplemented,butit’sclearthatcreatinganetworkinfrastructurethatself-drivingvehiclescanusetocommunicatewithoneanotherwillsignificantlyimprovesafetyandefficiencyin

theindustry.TheFCCisgoingtobeakeyplayerindecidingwhatthatinfrastructurelookslike.Mostrecently,theycontributedtothisinfrastructureby

implementing

C-V2X

,whichpartitionedoffafrequencyofradiowavesforuseintheautonomousvehiclesector.40

DepartmentofMotorVehicles(DMV)

ADMV,orDepartmentofMotorVehicles,isastate-leveldepartmentforregulatingtransportation.Itperformstaskslikeregisteringvehiclesandprovidingdriving

licenses.Becausethesearestate-levelorganizations,theycurrentlyhavethefinalwordonwhetherornottheyallowautonomousvehiclesontheirroadsandtowhatextent.

Forexample,the

CaliforniaDMV

permitsfullyautonomousvehiclesonitsroads.41

Autonomousvehiclesarealso

allowedinArizona

,whichiswhysomanyself-drivingcarsusearouteconnectingCaliforniaandArizona.42InArizona,however,adriverisnotrequiredsolongastheautonomousvehiclemeetscertainrequirements.

FederalTradeCommission(FTC)

The

FTC

,orFederalTradeCommission,isagovernmentagencyresponsiblefor

protectingconsumerrightsandcompetitioninthemarketplace.43Intheautonomoussector,asidefromimplementingantitrustmeasures,theagency’sprimaryconcernisprotectingconsumerdata.

Autonomousvehicleshavetheabilitytocollectandstorepersonaldataon

passengersand,onceself-drivingvehiclesbegincommunicatingwithoneanother,they’llhavetheabilitytosharethatdatawithothervehicles.TheFTCiscurrently

discussingandimplementingregulations

onwhatdatacanbecollected,ifandhowthatdatacanbestored,andifandhowthatdatacanbeshared.44TheFTCisalso

communicatingwithotherregulatoryagencies,liketheFCCandNTSB,toensurethattheseconcernsarebeingaddressedbyalloftheresponsibleorganizations.

AdvocacyGroups

InsuranceInstituteforHighwaySafety(IIHS)

The

IIHS

,orInsuranceInstituteforHighwaySafety,isanindependentorganization

thatwasfoundedinthelate1950sbythreemajorinsurancecompaniesofthattime.45Thegoalofthegroupwastoimprovehighwaysafetystandardsbypushingforcertainregulationsaswellaseducatingthepubliconroadwaysafety.

Theorganizationhasledtokeyimprovementsinroadwaysafetybyaddressing

factorssuchasseatbeltusage,teendrivers,andsubstanceabuseinthecontextofdriving.Today,theyarepushingforequallycriticalimprovementsintheautonomous

sector.Arguablytheinstitute’smostimportantworkinthisareatodatehasbeen

its

researchandexposureofsafetyfailures

intheautonomousindustry.46TheIIHS

haspublishedseveralarticleshighlightingthedangersofself-drivingvehiclesand

thelackofsafetymeasuresagainstthesedangers.TheIIHSisalsopushingfor

strongerconsumereducationonautonomousvehicles

,pointingoutthattheaverageconsumerdoesn’tknowthedifferencebetweenLevel3or4automation.47

20

21

InternationalTelecommunicationsUnion(ITU)

The

ITU

,orInternationalTelecommunicationsUnion,isaUnitedNationsorganizationbasedinGeneva,Switzerland.48Itfacilitatestheassignmentofelementslikeradio

wavefrequencies,satelliteorbits,andthedevelopmentoftheinternet.

Recently,theITUhasbeenworkingtoimprovethesafetyofautonomousvehicles

byestablishingtestsandresearchprogramsr