Self-driving cars are one step closer to being ready for the road, and data will be the fuel that gets them there. The U.S. Department of Transportation unveiled its long-awaited new policy on automated vehicles Tuesday, and the 116-page document provides needed clarity on how it wants manufacturers to proceed with the development and deployment of these machines.
Amid all the questions stirred up by the advent of self-driving cars on U.S. roads in recent years?the ethical dilemmas, such as which motorist and/or pedestrian to hit in an unavoidable either/or crash situation; the implications for insurance companies; the conflicts between federal and state roles?data recording and sharing is front and center in importance.
It’s also the first category described in detail in the document, in which regulators have outlined 15 areas of safety concern. Manufacturers will need to assess their vehicles and certify they have met the DOT’s Vehicle Performance Guidance for Automated Vehicles in these areas before their vehicles will be permitted on roads.  Regulators say data should be collected for analysis from both testing and operational situations in the case of any malfunctions, crashes, and near crashes. And the DOT will press automakers and technology companies to share that information with each other.
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“The more the industry knows from event recorders about what went right and what went wrong, the more the industry will be able to fashion remed...