Automated Vehicle Transparency & Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative

NHTSA requests review and approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a new information collection request (ICR) for a safety information sharing initiative for testing in the United States of vehicles equipped with Automated Driving System (ADS, commonly referred to as “AV”) technology. This initiative will involve the collection of information on a digital platform on NHTSA’s website. The voluntarily-provided information will be published on NHTSA’s website to provide information about ADS testing to members of the public. The platform will collect and provide information from States and local authorities about laws and guidelines for ADS operations and information about specific operations within the U.S. from ADS manufacturers and operators. One of the key features of the AV TEST Initiative is that each external stakeholder’s participation is completely voluntary, with each participant choosing its respective degree of involvement and disclosure. As such, respondent submissions may vary in comprehensiveness and frequency of submissions or updates. The goal is to provide a centralized educational resource for ADS testing information in the United States, as well improve public visibility, engagement, and awareness of ADS developments and testing activities. This collection will consolidate, standardize, and share information on ADS development and testing in the U.S. The proposed questions for this collection can be found in Appendix A, and sample screenshots of the data interface can be found in Appendix B. To date, there have been limited mechanisms available for Federal, State, and local governments and the automotive industry to coordinate and share information, and public information on ADS testing across the country is largely driven by anecdote, media reporting, or other localized information resources concerning particular ADS testing projects. The absence of a centralized source of information related to ADS vehicle testing inhibits the availability of public feedback concerning testing projects and affects public trust and confidence in the safety performance of innovative technologies under development. The data and information collection will support two main objectives. The first is to provide the public with access to geographic visualizations of testing at the national, State, and local levels. This information will be specifically displayed through a graphic of the United States, with projects overlaid on the geographic areas in which the testing project is taking place (“heat map”). By clicking on a testing location, members of the public will be able see additional information about the operation and the ADS operator. Additional information may include basic information about the ADS operator, a brief statement about the entity, specific details of the testing activity, high-level (non-confidential) descriptions of the vehicles and technology, photos of the test vehicles, the dates on which testing occurs, frequency of vehicle operations, the number of vehicles participating in the project, the specific streets or areas comprising the testing routes, information about safety drivers and their training, information about engagement with the community and/or local government, weblinks to the company’s websites with brief introductory statements, and a link to the company’s Voluntary Safety Self-Assessment. The second objective is to provide public access to information from State and local governments related to legislation, regulations, or guidelines for ADS vehicle testing operations within their jurisdictions, privacy-related issues, emergency response efforts and training directed to ADS technologies, and other local initiatives, such as smart city initiatives, that cultivate ADS testing.

The latest form for Automated Vehicle Transparency & Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative expires 2023-12-31 and can be found here.

Original Manufacturer of ADS Vehicles or ADS Vehicle Equipment and Operators of ADS Vehicles

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Transportation - Ground Transportation

Review document collections for all forms, instructions, and supporting documents - including paper/printable forms.