Consumer Watchdog: California DMV Changes Policy; Now Will Release Robot Car Accident Reports
SANTA MONICA, Calif., June 18, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The California Department of Motor Vehicles has reversed its policy and today said it would release accident reports about crashes involving self-driving cars that are being tested on public roads.
"It took too long, but the DMV is now getting right," said John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project director. "The robot cars are being tested on public roads and people have a right to know as much as possible about what goes wrong."
Personal information like the drivers' names, the car's VIN number and the insurer is redacted. In one report filed by Delphi, fault was shown to be determined in a police collision report cited in the document. The other reports involving Google's vehicles, only gave the company's synopsis of the crash.
View the six robot car crash reports filed since last September when the DMV began requiring them: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/av_accident_reports_061715.pdf
The DMV also requires an annual report of the circumstances surrounding any time the robot technology was disengaged and control was assumed by the test driver. Noting that at least one Google accident report said the test driver assumed control, Consumer Watchdog called for full disclosure of the disengagement reports.
"Knowing why the driver took over and how long it took to do so is essential," said Simpson.
Consumer Watchdog learned that there had been accidents involving Google's robot cars when the nonprofit nonpartisan public interest group filed a Public Records Act request in March with the DMV seeking communications between Google and the department. However, the DMV then said it treats driverless car accident reports confidentially and would not release them.
After the Associated Press reported there had been crashes with Google and Delphi cars, Google acknowledged its vehicles had been involved in 11 since testing began. The number of Google crashes now stands at 13.
At Google's annual shareholders meeting earlier this month, Simpson called on Google to release the official accident reports. Two days after the meeting Google began releasing monthly reports about robot car testing that included a synopsis of crashes.
"The official DMV reports offer greater insight with specific information on such things as the vehicle make, the time and date of the crash," Simpson noted. "When you remember that Google wants to offer a robot car without a steering wheel, brake pedal, or accelerator, it's imperative we know as much as possible about what goes wrong."
In releasing the reports Roger J. Sato, Senior Staff Counsel said:
"DMV initially declined to release these reports based on Vehicle Code provisions that require accident reports concerning traffic injuries or fatalities to remain confidential. After further review, DMV has determined that it is possible to release the factual information related to the autonomous vehicle reports, so long as the personal information of the drivers involved in the accidents and other information not disclosable by law is kept confidential."
Google is testing the most robot cars on California's roads. As of May 15, the most recent data provided by the DMV shows the Internet giant is testing 23 cars and has 180 drivers. Other companies testing self-driving vehicles on California highways are: VW/Audi, 3 cars, 30 drivers; Mercedes Benz, 3 cars, 12 drivers; Delphi 2 cars, 9 drivers; Tesla, 12 cars, 16 drivers; Bosch 2 cars, 12 drivers and Nissan 3 cars, 18 drivers. In all there were 48 vehicles being tested and 277 test drivers.
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SOURCE Consumer Watchdog
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