NHTSA Accelerates Proposed Rewrite of Federal Safety Standards for Driverless Vehicles

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is accelerating efforts to rewrite the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), long premised on human drivers, for driverless vehicles. On March 16, 2026, it published proposed amendments to FMVSS No.102, 103 and 104 that would create exceptions for vehicles lacking manual driving controls, with a review of brake-pedal requirements also under way.