The U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recently released a report showing that 130 crashes occurred with vehicles possessing SAE Level 2 advanced driver assistance systems.
In June 2021, the NHTSA issued a Standing General Order (SGO) requiring that operators and manufacturers of ADS and Level 2 ADAS systems report collisions to NHTSA when SAE L2 ADAS or SAE Levels 3-5 ADS are engaged during a crash. This purpose of this order was to determine that vehicles equipped with these systems are not posing an unreasonable risk to drivers.
The SAE Level 2 advanced driver assistance system is an automated driving system that provides both speed and steering input for the vehicle but requires the driver to remain fully engaged, according to NHTSA. Other systems currently in development include SEA Levels 3 to 5 with the hopes of one day being able to develop a vehicle capable of 100% automated driving.
The report found that of the 130 reported crashes for ADS-equipped vehicles, 108 of those were with another vehicle and only one reported crash resulted in a serious injury. Vehicles with SAE L2 ADAS resulted in 116 collisions with other vehicles and 98 of the those crashes resulted in injuries with 11 fatalities.
“The data released today are part of our commitment to transparency, accountability and public safety,” NHTSA’s Administrator Dr. Steven Cliff said in a statement. “New vehicle technologies have the potential to help prevent crashes, reduce crash severity and save lives, and the Department is interested in fostering technologies that are proven to do so; collecting this data is an important step in that effort. As we gather more data, NHTSA will be able to better identify any emerging risks or trends and learn more about how these technologies are performing in the real world.”
The NHTSA will continue to update reports with data as it rolls in.
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