Companies must address self-driving car interference with emergency vehicles, US says

WASHINGTON, July 8 (Reuters) – The head of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Wednesday that self-driving car companies must quickly address a “clear pattern” of driverless vehicles interfering with law enforcement and other first responders.

Jonathan Morrison, who heads the U.S. vehicle regulatory agency, said in a letter to the industry that NHTSA has documented multiple instances of AVs driving “directly into active emergency scenes, blocked the paths of ambulances and firefighters, or failed to recognize and respond to basic safety conditions like flashing lights, flares, smoke, fire, and

traffic cones.”

NHTSA said it was unacceptable and vowed to schedule meetings vehicle developers by month’s end to hear their solutions.

(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)