National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy sharply criticized federal regulators Thursday for not doing enough to monitor and test automatic driving technologies. She spoke at an event marking the opening of a Consumer Reports facility that will test increasingly common systems and features such as automatic braking, lane-departure technology and advanced cruise control. More than half of new vehicles sold today have at least some of these systems, according to Consumer Reports.
is the federal agency that regulates auto safety and maintains a database of crash test ratings at SaferCar.gov. It also lists which basic crash prevention systems vehicles have, such as “Crash Imminent Braking”– more commonly called automatic emergency braking – and “Lane Departure Warning.” It also lists whether each one “meets performance criteria.” But it doesn’t provide comparative ratings or details.
employ a five-star rating system to forward collision avoidance systems, for example, instead of just noting whether they meet minimum standards. And has proposed updates to the rating system, including possibly requesting comment on ways to develop ratings systems for these technologies. It has also recently begun its own rulemaking process for automatic emergency braking technology Consumer Reports’ new “ADAS Loop” at the organization’s auto testing center in Colchester, Connecticut is designed to test advanced driver assist systems like Tesla’s Autopilot, and similar systems from automakers like Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and General Motors.