NHTSA to Accelerate Rulemaking for Vehicle-to-Vehicle Technologies
Client Alert | 2 min read | 05.29.15
On May 13, 2015, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) intends to expedite its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to propose a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard that would require vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities in all new light vehicles (which includes passenger cars and trucks), as well as minimum performance requirements for these systems. According to Secretary Foxx, speaking last week at Delphi Labs in Silicon Valley, NHTSA intends to issue a proposed rule on V2V technologies in 2015, sooner than its previously announced timeline of 2016.
In August 2014, NHTSA published an Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to initiate the rulemaking process governing V2V technologies. At the same time, NHTSA published a technical report entitled Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications: Readiness of V2V Technology for Application." NHTSA solicited comments on the research report, as well as "additional information, data, and analysis that [would] aid the agency in developing an effective proposal to require new light vehicles to be V2V-capable."
In its proposed rulemaking, NHTSA explains that its focus on regulating in the V2V space centers on crash avoidance, a shift from the agency’s prior emphasis on mitigating the effects of vehicle collisions. NHTSA deems it particularly important to issue a rule on this specific technology because V2V crash avoidance benefits are achieved only when a substantial portion of the vehicles on the road are equipped with V2V capabilities. Absent such a requirement, NHTSA believes there is little market incentive for auto manufacturers to develop the technology, or for consumers to purchase it as an option and/or demand it as a standard feature.
Other Articles in this Month's Edition:
- U.S.D.A. Announces Plans to Implement a Non-GE Verification Program
- European Court Expands Product Liability Exposure for Medical Device Producers
- Advertisers in the Ring – A Roundup of This Month's Competitor Advertising Challenges: Favorable Test Results Provide the Ceiling, Not the Floor, for Claims of Competitive Advantage
- The ECHA Expects Up to 70,000 Registrations of Little Known Chemicals by 2018
Insights
Client Alert | 3 min read | 05.16.25
On May 14, 2025, the Environmental Protection Agency (“EPA”) announced that it will keep the current National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (“NPDWR”) for perfluorooctanoic acid (“PFOA”) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (“PFOS”) under the Safe Drinking Water Act (“SDWA”), while extending the compliance deadline from 2029 to 2031. EPA further announced it plans to rescind requirements in those regulations applicable to other PFAS and mixtures of certain PFAS in drinking water. The NPDWR consists of legally enforceable primary standards and treatment techniques that apply to public water systems and guide EPA’s enforcement of the SDWA. This announcement follows EPA’s April 28, 2025 press release outlining its priorities for PFAS enforcement, which included 21 actions EPA intends to take to address PFAS and “engage with Congress and industry to establish a clear liability framework that ensures the polluter pays and passive receivers are protected.”
Client Alert | 2 min read | 05.16.25
Client Alert | 3 min read | 05.16.25
New SF-328 Released and Embedded Guidance Seeks More Information Up Front
Client Alert | 6 min read | 05.16.25
Recent Antitrust Enforcer Statements Signal New Administration’s Direction and Priorities
