Outgoing leader says US safety agency has the people and expertise to regulate high-tech vehicles

DETROIT– Over the past fifteen months, no one has been more responsible for safety on the nation’s highways than Ann Carlson. For much of that time, she served as acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, where she started as chief advisor in 2021.

But on Wednesday, Carlson’s time as lead attorney and general counsel will come to an end. She returns to Los Angeles to resume teaching at the UCLA School of Law.

During her tenure, the agency, known by its acronym NHTSA, has pushed autonomous vehicle companies and automakers to report crashes involving automated systems, creating a large database.

In an interview with The Associated Press, she spoke about a recall to address safety issues with Tesla’s partially automated driving system, Autopilot, the agency’s quest to replace ARC Automotive Inc. to get her to recall 52 million airbag inflators that can explode with too much force, and other problems.

The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Q: Last month you pressured Tesla to recall 2 million vehicles with Autopilot because it doesn’t ensure drivers pay enough attention to the road. There have been numerous crashes. In 2022, two motorcyclists were struck and killed by Teslas apparently driving on Autopilot on highways. How closely will NHTSA look at Tesla’s software update to resolve the problem?

A: We will look at everything. If you look at what we’ve made available, there are accidents both on and off the highway. And they are both concerning. We need to ensure that drivers are attentive and that they do not assume that the system is actually sufficient to function without driver attentiveness. One of the most important messages that we want to emphasize again and again is that drivers must continue to pay attention, but also that a vehicle must be designed in such a way that the driver is not lulled into thinking that the car can cause many problems. every situation.

Q: Consumer Reports and others who tested Tesla’s remedy say it’s increasing the number of warnings drivers get when they don’t keep their hands on the steering wheel. But they say steering wheel sensors aren’t enough to ensure drivers are watching, that the recall doesn’t limit Autopilot’s operation to highways where it’s designed to work, and that cameras in the cabin can be covered so they don’t reach the car can watch. drivers. Does the solution ensure that drivers do not rely too much on the car?

A: I can’t really comment on the adequacy of the remedy yet. NHTSA has the authority to evaluate the remedy and ensure its adequacy. In the past we have sometimes had to issue a second recall if the solution was not sufficient. It is the manufacturer’s responsibility to remedy the unreasonable risk to safety.

Question: The agency initially concluded that ARC Automotive Inc. 52 million airbag inflators should be recalled because they can explode and throw shrapnel. The company does not want to implement the recall and several car manufacturers are against it. You have held a public hearing and the next step could be to obtain a court order. What is the status of that?

A: It is very unusual that we are in a position where we are holding a public hearing. The goal is for us to gather evidence and then determine whether our initial finding is indeed correct. The public comment period is closed. We are currently reviewing these comments.

Q: Are you confident that NHTSA has the right people to evaluate automotive software? Critics say the agency lacks expertise compared to car companies.

A: I have a lot of confidence in the NHTSA team. Some of the recalls we’ve recently implemented are proof of that. It is true that vehicles are becoming more and more advanced. They are essentially computers on wheels. We really benefited from the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which brought a lot of new resources into NHTSA. I started in January 2021. We grew our hiring by about 150 people. The agency therefore devotes a lot of resources to automation issues. We have a new Office of Automation Safety. We have these incredibly sophisticated interdisciplinary teams. It doesn’t just require software expertise. It also requires technical expertise. It takes legal expertise to ensure that we exercise our supervision in a manner that is consistent with our legal powers and our regulations.

Q: We’ve seen the problems with Tesla, and now there are problems with General Motors’ automated Cruise vehicles. Are federal standards needed to ensure self-driving vehicles are safe?

A: NHTSA has the authority to issue vehicle safety standards. But we also have to do it in a way that actually takes into account the speed of change and technology. We have a general order that requires almost immediate reporting of crashes. We take immediate action if we know there is a problem. We are also considering a new program called AV step. That would combine the ability for manufacturers to deploy automated vehicles with a process that would give NHTSA significant access to information about redundancy and safety systems,

Q: Traffic fatalities are starting to decline, after rising since the pandemic. Are you confident that this will remain the case?

A: A real lesson about traffic fatalities is that there is no one answer to reducing them. We must do everything we can. That means we need safer people, safer vehicles, safer speeds, safer roads and improvements in post-accident care. All of these things are critical to reducing fatalities, and we’re using every tool we have to do that.