G/TBT/N/USA/1405  
 
25 October 2018  
(18-6693) Page: 1/2 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
The following notification is being circulated in accordance with Article 10.6  
 
1. Notifying Member: UNITED STATES OF AME RICA  
If applicable, name of local government involved (Article 3.2 and 7.2):   
2. Agency responsible: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT) [1426]  
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, email and website 
addresses, if available) of agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be indicated if different from above:   
Please submit comments to: USA WTO TBT Enquiry Point  
Email: usatbtep@nist.gov  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [ X], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:  
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where applicable, otherwise national tariff 
heading. ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable): Motor 
vehicles, driving automation; Road vehicles in general (ICS 43.020), Road vehicle 
systems (ICS 43.040).  
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document: Pilot Program 
for Collaborative Research on Motor Vehicles With High or Full Driving Automation 
(12 page(s), in Englis h)   
6. Description of content: NHTSA is seeking public comment on matters related to the 
near-term and long -term challenges of Automated Driving Systems (ADS) testing, 
development and eventual deployment. ADS testing and development are already 
underway in several areas of the United States. As technology evolves and in anticipation 
of requests to test and further develop high and full ADS, including those in vehicles 
without traditional controls necessary for a human driver, NHTSA is issuing this ANPRM 
to obtain public comments on the factors and structure that are appropriate for the 
Agency to consider in designing a national pilot program that will enable it to facilitate, 
monitor and learn from the testing and development of the emerging advanced vehic le 
safety technologies and to assure the safety of those activities.  
The Agency seeks these comments from interested stakeholders, including State and local 
authorities, companies, researchers, safety advocates and other experts interested in, 
engaged in or planning to become engaged in the design, development, testing, and 
deployment of motor vehicles with high and full driving automation. The Agency also 
seeks comments from road users, including vehicle drivers and passengers, cyclists and 
pedestrians.  
More specifically, NHTSA requests comments on the following topics related to ADS safety 
research. First, NHTSA seeks comments on potential factors that should be considered in 
designing a pilot program for the safe on -road testing and deployment of vehicl es with 
high and full driving automation and associated equipment. Second, the Agency seeks 
comments on the use of existing statutory provisions and regulations to allow for the 
implementation of such a pilot program. Third, the Agency seeks comment on any  G/TBT/N/USA/1405  
 
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  additional elements of regulatory relief (e.g., exceptions, exemptions, or other potential 
measures) that might be needed to facilitate the efforts to participate in the pilot program 
and conduct on -road research and testing involving these vehicles, espe cially those that 
lack controls for human drivers and thus may not comply with all existing safety 
standards. Fourth, with respect to the granting of exemptions to enable companies to 
participate in such a program, the Agency seeks comments on the nature o f the safety 
and any other analyses that it should perform in assessing the merits of individual 
exemption petitions and on the types of terms and conditions it should consider attaching 
to exemptions to protect public safety and facilitate the Agency's mo nitoring and learning 
from the testing and deployment, while preserving the freedom to innovate.  
By developing a robust record of the answers to these important questions, NHTSA 
expects to learn more about the progress of ADS and the ways in which the Agen cy can 
facilitate safe and efficient ADS testing and deployment for the benefit of individual 
consumers and the traveling public as a whole.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the nature of urgent problems where 
applicable: Protection of human health o r safety  
8. Relevant documents:   
• 83 Federal Register (FR) 50872, 10 October 2018; Title 49 Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) Parts 555, 571 and 591.   Will appear in the Federal Register 
when adopted.  
9. Proposed date of adoption: To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force: To be determined  
10. Final date for comments: 26 November 2018  
11. Texts available from: National enquiry point [  ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and email and website addresses, if available, of other body:   
https://members.wto.org/crnattachments/2018/TBT/USA/18_5594_00_e.pdf