[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 215 (Monday, November 7, 2016)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 78104-78106]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-26561]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

49 CFR Chapter V

[Docket No. NHTSA-2016-0090], Notice 2


Federal Automated Vehicles Policy

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of public meeting.

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SUMMARY: NHTSA is announcing a public meeting to seek input on the 
recently released Federal Automated Vehicles Policy (the Policy). The 
Policy is guidance that seeks to speed the delivery of an initial 
regulatory framework for highly automated vehicles (HAVs) as well as 
encourage conformance with best practices to guide manufacturers and 
other entities in the safe design, development, testing, and deployment 
of HAVs.
    The public meeting will be an open listening session to provide as 
great an opportunity for comment as possible. All comments will be oral 
and any presentations should be submitted to the docket for inclusion. 
Additionally, all interested parties, either not in attendance or who 
are unable to speak, are invited to share any views or information they 
would like considered through the docket as well.

DATES: NHTSA will hold the public meeting on November 10, 2016, in 
Washington, DC. The meeting will start at 9 a.m. and continue until 4 
p.m. local time. Check-in (through security) will begin at 8 a.m. 
Attendees should arrive early enough to enable them to go through 
security by 9 a.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the United States General 
Services Administration, Regional Office Building located at 301 7th 
Street (7th & D Streets) SW., Washington, DC 20407. This facility is 
accessible to individuals with disabilities.
    Written Comments: Written statements and supporting information 
submitted during the comment period will be considered with the same 
weight as oral comments presented at the public meeting. Please submit 
all written comments no later than November 22, 2016, by any of the 
following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments. To submit comments on the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy, 
please use docket NHTSA-2016-0090.
    NHTSA issued a separate notice and created a separate docket for 
the Paperwork Reduction Act information collection request related to 
the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy (81 FR 65709). In that notice, 
NHTSA estimated the potential burden associated with submitting 
information to NHTSA as recommended by the Federal Automated Vehicles 
Policy. To submit comments on the information collection request 
related to the Federal Automated Vehicles Policy, please use docket 
NHTSA-2016-0091.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility: U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery or Courier: 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001, between 
9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays.
     Fax: 202-366-1767.
    Instructions: All submissions must include the agency name and 
associated docket number. Note that all comments received will be 
posted without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any 
personal information provided. Please see the Privacy Act discussion 
below.
    Docket: For access to the docket go to http://www.regulations.gov 
at any time or to 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West Building, Ground 
Floor, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., 
Monday through Friday, except Federal Holidays. Telephone: 202-366-
9826.
    Privacy Act: Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all 
comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual 
submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf 
of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's 
complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on 
April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78), you may visit 
http://www.dot.gov/privacy.html.
    Confidential Business Information: If you wish to submit any 
information under a claim of confidentiality, you should submit three 
copies of your complete submission, including the information you claim 
to be confidential business information to the Chief Counsel, NHTSA, at 
the address given under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. In addition, 
you should submit two copies, from which you have deleted the claimed 
confidential business information, to Docket Management at the address 
given above. When you send a comment containing information claimed to 
be confidential business information, you should submit a cover letter 
setting forth the information specified in our confidential business 
information regulation (49 CFR part 512).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions about the public 
meeting, please contact Ms. Yvonne Clarke, Program Assistant, Office of 
Vehicle Safety Research at (202) 366-1845 or by email at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

[[Page 78105]]

Background

    On September 20, 2016, DOT released the Federal Automated Vehicles 
Policy. The Policy is intended to ensure automated vehicle technologies 
are safely introduced and achieve their full safety potential by 
removing potential roadblocks to the integration of innovative 
automotive technology. The full Policy can be found at www.nhtsa.gov/AV.
    On September 23, 2016, DOT published a notice requesting written 
public comment regarding the contents of the Policy.\1\ Those comments 
are due November 22, 2016. Concurrent with the notice requesting public 
comment, DOT published a separate notice opening a separate docket for 
commenters to respond to the proposed information collection request 
for the Policy (81 FR 65709).
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    \1\ 81 FR 65703 (September 23, 2016), NHTSA-2016-0090.
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Meeting

    NHTSA has laid out four sections within the Policy that focus on 
priority areas related to HAVs. During the morning session of the 
meeting, the Agency will seek public input on those four sections to 
include: Vehicle Performance Guidance for Automated Vehicles, Model 
State Policy, NHTSA's Current Regulatory Tools, and Modern Regulatory 
Tools. The focus will be to gather feedback regarding how manufacturers 
and other entities have understood these four areas of interest, if 
there are challenges foreseen, suggestions for clarification or more 
thorough explanation, recommended improvements, or other input.
    During the afternoon session of the meeting, the Agency will seek 
specific input from the public on the safety assessment letter. The 
intent of the policy is for manufacturers and other entities involved 
in the design, development, validation, testing and deployment of 
automated vehicles to voluntarily submit to the Agency a letter 
describing how they are meeting the 15 safety areas in the vehicle 
performance guidance outlined in the policy.
    NHTSA is seeking input to refine the overall structure and content 
of the safety assessment letter from the parties responsible for the 
preparation and submission of these letters. This input will aid the 
Agency in developing a template for entities to use as well as further 
refine our anticipated internal processes necessary to review 
submissions in a timely fashion.
    The meeting announced by this notice is being held during the open 
comment period for the Policy to provide an opportunity for individuals 
to provide oral feedback regarding the four sections of the Policy.
    Registration is necessary for all attendees. Attendees, including 
those who do not plan to make any oral remarks at the meeting, should 
register at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12_tCd_PEWBiPCLnp1KmsSXV9vsoV6iAm1o_n736lbds/viewform?edit_requested=true by November 8, 2016. Please provide your 
name, email address, and affiliation, indicate if you wish to offer 
oral technical remarks, and please indicate whether you require 
accommodations such as a sign language interpreter. Space is limited, 
so advanced registration is highly encouraged.
    Although attendees will be given the opportunity to offer technical 
remarks, there will not be time for attendees to make audio-visual 
presentations during the meeting. Additionally, NHTSA may not be able 
to accommodate all attendees who wish to make oral remarks. All 
interested parties, not in attendance, unable to comment verbally, or 
otherwise, are invited to share any views or information they would 
like considered in the docket.
    NHTSA will conduct the public meeting informally, and technical 
rules of evidence will not apply. We will arrange for a written 
transcript of the meeting. You may make arrangements for copies of the 
transcripts directly with the court reporter. The transcript will also 
be posted in the docket when it becomes available.
    Should it be necessary to cancel the meeting due to inclement 
weather or other emergency, NHTSA will take all available measures to 
notify registered participants.

Draft Meeting Agenda

8:00-9:00--Arrival/Check-In
9:00-12:00--Public Meeting Session on the Federal Automated Vehicles 
Policy Document
12:00--Lunch (on your own)/Arrival/Check-In
13:00-15:30--Invited Technical Comments/Other Oral Remarks on Safety 
Assessment Letter
15:30-16:00--Open Microphone
16:00--Adjourn

Morning Session Meeting Topics

    The morning session of the meeting will provide an opportunity for 
individuals to express feedback regarding the four sections of the 
Policy. NHTSA has issued the Policy to ensure automated vehicle 
technologies are safely introduced and achieve their full safety 
potential by removing potential roadblocks to the integration of 
innovative automotive technology.
     Vehicle Performance Guidance for Automated Vehicles: This 
section, which is addressed to manufacturers, developers, and other 
organizations, outlines a 15 point ``Safety Assessment'' for the safe 
design, development, validation, testing, and deployment of automated 
vehicles.
     Model State Policy: This section describes the separate 
and distinct responsibilities of the Federal and State governments for 
regulation of HAVs, and recommends policy areas for States to consider 
with a goal of generating a consistent national framework for the 
validation, testing, and deployment of highly automated vehicles.
     Current Regulatory Tools: This section outlines DOT's 
current regulatory tools that can be used in a more timely and 
effective fashion to accelerate the safe development of HAVs, such as 
interpreting current rules to allow for greater flexibility in design 
and providing limited exemptions to allow manufacturers to gain 
experience with nontraditional vehicle designs.
     Modern Regulatory Tools: This section identifies potential 
new regulatory tools and statutory authorities that may aid the safe 
and efficient deployment of new lifesaving technologies.

Afternoon Session Meeting Topics

    The afternoon session of the meeting provides an opportunity for 
individuals to specifically comment on the Safety Assessment Letter to 
NHTSA.\2\ As an example, the Agency is interested in how to structure a 
letter such that it contains enough information to enable the public 
and the Agency to understand how the submitter of the letter is meeting 
the 15 safety areas, but avoids revealing confidential business 
information or inadvertently creating a competitive disadvantage to 
anyone submitting the letter. Concurrent with the Policy, DOT also 
opened a docket for commenters to respond to this proposed information 
collection request for the Policy (81 FR 65709).
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    \2\ Ibid., 15.
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    Specifically, commenters are asked to discuss the following topics 
at the meeting:

 Content and Structure

    The Agency seeks comment on how much and what types of information 
should be included in the letter to enable the public and the Agency to 
understand the submitter's process, plan, approach, or other areas. In 
the interest of achieving a reasonable degree

[[Page 78106]]

of consistency in the letters it receives, the Agency also seeks 
comments on how the letters should be formatted. Finally, what is the 
expected length of a well formatted letter?

 Identification of Responsible Manufacturers and Other Entities

    The Agency seeks comment on the entities that should be responsible 
for the submission of these letters. Commenters should also consider 
who should submit in these letters in the event that multiple parties 
collaborate together.

 Transparency

    The Agency seeks to be as transparent as possible with these 
letters, and expects to make them public to increase public 
understanding and build consumer confidence. If commenters believe that 
certain portions of the letter should not be made available to the 
general public, please identify those portions and explain the reasons 
for that belief and how withholding those portions might affect public 
understanding and confidence. Commenters should discuss what format the 
agency should use to present the public display of the information.

 Agency Response Processes

    The Agency will respond to persons who comment on safety assessment 
letters received by the Agency. Commenters should focus on what form 
this response should take, as well as what information the agency 
should include. Commenters should also discuss their views on making 
these responses available to the public.

 Timing

    The Agency seeks comments on the timing proposed in the Policy 
document for the submission of the letters. Commenters should discuss 
what types of changes or updates are important enough to trigger the 
need to submit a new letter. In the event that changes or updates to 
automated features make it necessary to submit a new letter, commenters 
should discuss what time frame would be appropriate for re-submittal of 
the assessment letters.

Nathaniel Beuse,
Associate Administrator for Vehicle Safety Research.
[FR Doc. 2016-26561 Filed 11-4-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4910-59-P