TRB Special Report 308: The Safety Challenge and Promise of Automotive Electronics Insights from Unintended Acceleration (2012) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
4 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Programs
4 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Programs
Pages 99-132
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 99... ...
roads in crashes, of which about 80 percent involved passenger cars and light trucks.1 As in previous years, a number of risky driver behaviors and actions, such as alcohol use, inattention, fatigue, and speeding, were among the major causal factors.2 Yet the 2010 data were widely acclaimed as providing further statistical evidence of a generally positive trend in traffic safety. About 18,000 fewer people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2010 than in 1980, even as vehicle travel almost doubled.3 This substantial improvement resulted from a combination of factors, such as better design and control of highways, stricter laws governing seat belt use and penalizing drunk driving, and more responsive and protective motor vehicles.
|
From page 100... ...
in addition to those associated with overseeing the safe performance of automotive electronics. The committee was asked to advise NHTSA on how the regulatory, research, and defect investigation activities carried out by the Office of Vehicle Safety can be improved to meet the safety assurance demands of the increasingly electronics-intensive automobile.
|
From page 101... ...
369 145,844 7.1 Other or unknown driver error 371 162,132 7.9 Total in category 5,096 2,041,943 100 Key Reasons for Critical Precrash Event Attributed to Roadway and Atmospheric Conditions Roadway Slick roads (e.g., ice, debris) 58 26,350 49.6 View obstructions 19 6,107 11.6 Signs and signals 5 1,452 2.7 Road design 3 745 1.4 Other highway-related condition 9 5,190 9.8 Subtotal 94 39,844 75.2 Atmospheric conditions Fog, rain, or snow 11 2,338 4.4 Other weather-related condition 6 2,147 4.0 Glare 24 8,709 16.4 Subtotal 41 13,194 24.8 Total in category 135 53,038 100 Note: Sample of 5,471 crashes investigated from July 3, 2005, to December 31, 2007.
|
From page 102... ...
The first act established a federal role in prescribing minimum safety standards for motor vehicles, enforcing compliance, and monitoring the safety performance of vehicles on the road, and it included authority to order manufacturer recalls for noncompliance and for safety defects. The act also authorized a federal role in motor vehicle and highway safety research.
|
From page 103... ...
, which monitors for and investigates safety defects in the fleet, and the regulatory compliance program, which randomly tests vehicles in the marketplace for adherence to particular FMVSSs. The research division undertakes studies to inform and provide the basis for new safety regulations, including research on vehicle crashworthiness, human–vehicle performance, and advanced crash avoidance technologies.
|
From page 104... ...
The FMVSSs most pertinent to electronic vehicle control systems are the crash avoidance standards, since they cover vehicle capabilities and features such as braking, controls, and displays. The FMVSSs covering crash avoidance are given in Table 4-2.
|
From page 105... ...
NASS GES has information for a stratified sample of police-reported crashes, allowing the agency to describe the general characteristics and incidence of motor vehicle crashes in the United States. NASS CDS also contains data on a stratified random sample of police-reported crashes.
|
From page 106... ...
1 TABLE 4-2 FMVSSs for Crash Avoidance Standard No. Name 101 Controls and Displays 102 Transmission Shift Lever Sequence, Starter Interlock, and Transmission Braking Effect 103 Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems 104 Windshield Wiping and Washing Systems 105 Hydraulic and Electric Brake Systems 106 Brake Hoses 108 Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment 109 New Pneumatic Tires for Passenger Cars 110 Tire Selection and Rims for Passenger Cars 111 Rearview Mirrors 113 Hood Latch System 114 Theft Protection and Rollaway Prevention 116 Motor Vehicle Brake Fluids 117 Retreaded Pneumatic Tires 118 Power-Operated Window, Partition, and Roof Panel Systems 119 New Pneumatic Tires for Vehicles Other Than Passenger Cars 120 Tire Selection and Rims for Motor Vehicles Other Than Passenger Cars 121 Air Brake Systems 122 Motorcycle Brake Systems 123 Motorcycle Controls and Displays 124 Accelerator Control Systems 125 Warning Devices 129 New Non-Pneumatic Tires for Passenger Cars -- New Temporary Spare Non-Pneumatic Tires for Use on Passenger Cars 131 School Bus Pedestrian Safety Devices 135 Light Vehicle Brake Systems
|
From page 107... ...
Proposed effective date: October 1, 1972. Final Rule April 8, 1972, 37 Federal Register 7097 The final rule retains the proposed two independent energy sources.
|
From page 108... ...
Request for comments December 4, 1995, 60 Federal Register 62061 NHTSA noted that the original standard was issued when only mechanical systems were commonly used in vehicles. The agency set out a series of questions to help it make a decision on amending the standard to address electronic accelerator control systems.
|
From page 109... ...
Both organizations "emphasized that there had been no safety-related developments concerning electronic accelerator controls to justify applying Standard No. 124 to such systems." NPRM on electronic control systems July 23, 2002, 67 Federal Register 48117 NHTSA reported that "where the present standard applies only to single-point severances or disconnections such as the disconnection of one end of a throttle cable, the proposed standard also is limited to single-point severances and disconnections such as unhooking one electrical connector or cutting a conductor at one location.
|
From page 110... ...
NHTSA simply interprets a "disconnection" to cover not only separations in cables and other physical linkages but also separations of electrical connectors and conductors linking the accelerator pedal with the engine control unit and the control unit with the throttle actuator.6 NHTSA does not know how an FMVSS performance requirement will ultimately be met through alternative product designs, materials, and technologies. Therefore, the agency is not in a position to demand that manufacturers use specific tests on their products, such as for corrosion 6 Information provided to the committee in briefing by Nathaniel Beuse, Chief, Crash Avoidance Standards, NHTSA, June 30, 2010.
|
From page 111... ...
This function is performed through ODI. Defect Surveillance and Assessment ODI's Defects Assessment Division, which consists of a staff of nine screeners and analysts,7 is responsible for monitoring the fleet for vehicle safety defects.
|
From page 112... ...
. 9 Briefing by Gregory Magno, Defects Assessment Division Chief, ODI, October 12, 2010.
|
From page 113... ...
Source: Briefing by Jeffrey Quandt, Vehicle Control Division Chief, ODI, October 12, 2010.
|
From page 114... ...
The motorist can choose from more than two dozen component codes such as service brakes, electrical system, power train, fuel system, steering, tires, and vehicle speed control. However, sorting by these codes to identify complaint rates is unreliable for many vehicle behaviors and conditions, since the code selections depend on the judgment of the vehicle's owner with regard to the component involved in the event.
|
From page 115... ...
has been to support defect monitoring and investigations by supplementing traditional ODI data.11 Defect Investigations ODI's investigative unit consists of specialists in crash avoidance, crashworthiness, and heavy-vehicle (truck and bus) defects.
|
From page 116... ...
indicated that since 2000 not a single recall has been ordered by NHTSA for passenger cars; manufacturers have undertaken recalls voluntarily, either in advance of a NHTSA investigation or in response to an ongoing one, long before issuance of a recall request letter. Under the law,13 ODI may require a manufacturer to conduct a recall only if the agency can establish that a defect exists and is "related to motor vehicle safety." To demonstrate the existence of a defect, ODI must be able to show the potential for a significant number of failures.
|
From page 117... ...
Fault injection produced range of sensor voltages where fault detection may be delayed by several seconds Source: Briefing by Jeffrey Quandt, Vehicle Control Division Chief, ODI, October 10, 2010. Recall Monitoring ODI's Recall Management Division oversees recalls to ensure compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements and to track progress in implementing defects remedies.
|
From page 118... ...
Manufacturers are required to furnish a chronological summary of all the principal events that were the basis for the determination of the defect to the Recall Management Division. NHTSA is required to approve the recall plan, and the agency imposes fines on manufacturers for violations of requirements relating to the recall process, including defect notification and campaign timeliness.14 Vehicle Safety reSearch Figure 4-2 shows NMVCCS estimates of the share of all crashes for which the critical precrash event can be attributed to the vehicle, the driver, the roadway, and weather conditions.
|
From page 119... ...
; • Development of methodologies for estimating the potential safety ben efits of existing and emerging crash avoidance technologies, such as those that increase driver awareness and vehicle visibility, decrease alcohol involvement in crashes, and decrease intersection collisions and rollovers; • Development of performance standards and tests for technology based crash avoidance capabilities, including support for the agency's considerations of FMVSS rulemakings to require certain capabilities in vehicles (e.g., performance standards and tests for electronic stabil ity control) ; and • Monitoring of the state of technology development of emerging and more advanced (or "intelligent")
|
From page 120... ...
According to OVSR, crash avoidance research activities are "data driven." They are intended to be guided by where the agency's crash database indicates that research can be helpful in mitigating safety problems, such as drunk driving, rear-end collisions, and unsafe lane changes, as well as other concerns pertaining to vulnerable populations such as children and the elderly. The intent of the research planning is to prioritize resource allocations on the basis of the potential for realizing reductions in traffic fatalities and injuries.
|
From page 121... ...
In the next section, the strategic and priority planning activities of OVSR are described. Through these activities, OVSR will presumably make determinations about whether it should devote more Crash Avoidance Crashworthiness Normal Driving Crash Imminent Crash Event Postcrash Driver distraction Forward crash avoidance Adaptive restraints Crash notification Alcohol detection Lane-departure warning Child side impact Event data recorders Driver support systems Crash-imminent braking Oblique offset/frontal Advanced crash notification Drowsy driver detection Lane-keeping Blind spot surveillance Vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle to-infrastructure Advanced air bags New Topics Fail-safe strategies Advanced event data recorders Software reliability Fault detection and diagnosis methods FIGURE 4-3 NHTSA vehicle safety research topics.
|
From page 122... ...
Several other projects relevant to electronics safety assurance are as follows: • Event data recorder requirement -- plans for a proposed rulemaking to mandate the installation of event data recorders on all light-duty vehicles and a proposal to consider enhancements to their capabilities and applicability;
|
From page 123... ...
NHTSA regulations in these areas, however, would be unprecedented, as pointed out earlier. The plan does not communicate strategic decisions, such as whether consideration is being given to changes in the agency's regulatory approach in response to the safety challenges associated with vehicle electronics.
|
From page 124... ...
In contrast, automotive manufacturers do not need approval from NHTSA to develop and build a new type of automobile. FAA's certification process covers all product development phases, from initial planning to flight testing.
|
From page 125... ...
Although FAA reviews manufacturer safety assurance plans and processes intensely, the burden of proving the soundness of the safety assurance system is on the manufacturer. To facilitate compliance, FAA advises manufacturers to follow certain preapproved processes for product development.
|
From page 126... ...
FDA and Class III Medical Devices Manufacturers of the most safety-critical (Class III) medical devices must receive approval from FDA before the devices can be marketed for public use.21 FDA's and NHTSA's safety oversight processes are comparable in that they combine safety requirements as a condition for approval with postmarketing monitoring to detect and remedy product safety deficiencies in the field.
|
From page 127... ...
Each trauma and engineering center collects detailed medical and crash data on approximately 50 crashes per year, and these data are shared among participating centers through a computer network that is also accessible to NHTSA researchers. While CIREN does not collect information on the performance and functioning of vehicle electronics systems, it demonstrates the value of such collaborative forums and how NHTSA can play a role in supporting them.
|
From page 128... ...
NHTSA may offer an interpretation of a new technology's conformance to an FMVSS performance requirement, but it does not advise on specific design strategies or testing methods carried out by the manufacturer, such as means by which corrosion resistance, electromagnetic compatibility, software reliability, and diagnostic and fail-safe properties are designed and verified. Automotive manufacturers are required to self-certify that their vehicles comply with the performance requirements when they deliver each vehicle to the dealer.
|
From page 129... ...
In particular, electronics systems that can aid in crash avoidance are viewed as promising ways to mitigate driver errors. The agency's crash avoidance research thus includes evaluations of human factors issues, methodologies for estimating the potential safety benefits of existing and emerging crash avoidance technologies, performance standards and tests that can be established for technology-based crash avoidance capabilities, the state of development of emerging and more advanced technologies for driving assistance, driver monitoring, and vehicle-to-vehicle communications.
|
From page 130... ...
At the moment, however, such a profound change in the way NHTSA regulates automotive safety does not appear to be a near-term prospect. Finding 4.7: FDA's and NHTSA's safety oversight processes are comparable in that they combine safety performance requirements as a condition for approval with postmarketing monitoring to detect and remedy product safety deficiencies occurring in the field.
|
From page 131... ...
2011. NHTSA Vehicle Safety and Fuel Economy Rulemaking and Research Priority Plan, 2011–2013.
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.