What has the regulator actually put in writing?
The automated-driving docket at NHTSA. One filing here grants a company permission to sell a passenger car that does not meet several federal safety standards. Another proposed a national oversight programme for self-driving vehicles, then withdrew it.
What the public actually turned up for
Comments filed on each document's docket. The Federal Register carries this figure on almost every filing and nobody reads it, which is a pity: it is the only public measure of how much attention a rulemaking drew, and the attention is nothing like evenly spread.
One filing accounts for 78% of every comment on this docket: HOLON U.S. Inc.-Receipt of Petition for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of…, which drew 19,049. A petition to exempt a vehicle from the federal safety standards is the moment the public is asked directly whether a car without controls should be allowed on the road, and it is the only kind of filing here that has ever drawn a crowd. The rulemakings that set the framework — the ones that decide how every one of these vehicles is regulated — draw comments in the hundreds. Read the gap as a measure of what is legible to the public rather than of what matters.
The docket, year by year
One mark per filing, on the day it published. A ringed mark is one of the filings set out below; a dashed connector joins a filing to the one that answers it.
The exemption that was granted
An exemption lets a manufacturer build and sell a vehicle that does not meet a federal safety standard. NHTSA has granted 2 on this docket.
NHTSA is granting an exemption to Zoox, Inc. (Zoox) to allow it to manufacture and deploy commercially a passenger car, which is equipped with an Automated Driving System (ADS), that does not comply with certain requirements in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS). Specifically, NHTSA grants Zoox an exemption for its Zoox sedan from certain requirements in eight FMVSS: FMVSS No. 103, Windshield defrosting and defogging systems; FMVSS No. 104, Windshield wiping and washing systems; FMVSS No. 108, Lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment; FMVSS No. 111, Rear visibility; FMVSS No. 135, Light vehicle brake systems; FMVSS No. 201, Occupant protection in interior impact; FMVSS No. 205, Glazing materials; and FMVSS No. 208, Occupant crash protection. NHTSA is granting Zoox's application on the basis that compliance with these requirements would prevent Zoox from selling, or otherwise commercially deploying, a motor vehicle with an overall safety level at least equal to the overall safety level of a vehicle that complies with all applicable FMVSS. NHTSA grants Zoox an exemption subject to certain specified terms and conditions, including the application of an enhanced oversight condition. Under this condition, NHTSA will issue Operational Authorizations that may update and expand as Zoox's ADS technology matures.
The programme that was withdrawn
A voluntary national programme for evaluating and overseeing vehicles that drive themselves. Proposed in one filing, withdrawn in another.
This document proposes a voluntary framework for the evaluation and oversight of motor vehicles equipped with automated driving systems (ADS). The ADS-equipped Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation Program (AV STEP) would establish a national program for ADS-equipped vehicles that operate or may operate on public roads in the United States under NHTSA's oversight with the goal of improving public transparency related to the safety of certain ADS-equipped vehicles, while allowing for responsible development of this technology. This proposal includes procedures for application, participation, public reporting, and program administration. It identifies content requirements for applications, including independent assessments of ADS safety processes, such as the safety cases used and conformance to industry standards. These application requirements will inform NHTSA's decisions on terms and conditions for participation. The proposal also contains reporting requirements for participants, including periodic and event-triggered reporting.
This action withdraws the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2025, which proposed to establish the Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation Program (AV STEP). The proposal would have created a voluntary program for vehicle manufacturers, developers of Automated Driving Systems (ADS), and fleet operators or system integrators of such vehicles. Based on its reevaluation of the proposal, consideration of the comments received, and subsequent progress on other ADS initiatives, NHTSA is withdrawing the rulemaking.
Every filing on the docket
A title links to the document itself. The text beneath it is the filing's own abstract.
| 2026-07-31 | Notice | Robomart, Inc.-Receipt of Application for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle NHTSA has received an application from Robomart, Inc. ("Robomart") for a temporary exemption from several requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard ("FMVSS") No. 500 applicable to its low-speed… | 2026-15486 | |
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| 2026-07-31 | Notice | Zoox-Grant of Temporary Exemption From Portions of Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle NHTSA is granting an exemption to Zoox, Inc. (Zoox) to allow it to manufacture and deploy commercially a passenger car, which is equipped with an Automated Driving System (ADS), that does not comply with… | 2026-15485 | |
| 2026-07-31 | Notice | AV Framework Updates and Request for Comments on Interim Guidance In April 2025, DOT and NHTSA announced a new automated vehicle framework designed to prioritize safety, promote innovation, foster American ingenuity, and remove regulatory barriers to the advancement of… | 24NHTSA-2026-1552 | 2026-15483 |
| 2026-06-26 | Proposed Rule | ADS-Equipped Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation Program; Withdrawal This action withdraws the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Federal Register on January 15, 2025, which proposed to establish the Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle Safety… | 2026-12980 | |
| 2026-04-10 | Notice | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for Comment; Driver Monitoring System (DMS) in SAE L2 Driver Support Systems In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)… | 4NHTSA-2025-0056 | 2026-07017 |
| 2026-04-06 | Rule | Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Occupant Crash Protection, Seat Belt Reminder Systems This interim final rule amends the seat belt warning requirements in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant crash protection" in response to petitions for reconsideration of the… | 17NHTSA-2026-0727 | 2026-06614 |
| 2026-03-11 | Notice | Zoox-Receipt of Application for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle; Request for Comment Zoox, Inc. ("Zoox") has petitioned NHTSA for a temporary exemption from certain requirements in eight Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) applicable to its passenger car equipped with an automated… | 120NHTSA-2025-0523 | 2026-04730 |
| 2025-09-29 | Notice | HOLON-Receipt of Application for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle; Reopening of Comment Period NHTSA published a request for public comment on November 8, 2024, announcing receipt of and seeking comment on an application for temporary exemption from HOLON U.S. Inc (HOLON). HOLON's application seeks a… | 2NHTSA-2024-0067 | 2025-18812 |
| 2025-09-25 | Notice | Zoox, Inc.-Receipt of Application for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle NHTSA has received an application from Zoox, Inc. ("Zoox") for a temporary exemption from several Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards ("FMVSS") applicable to its passenger car equipped with an automated… | 2025-18668 | |
| 2025-01-17 | Rule | Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Fuel System Integrity of Hydrogen Vehicles; Compressed Hydrogen Storage System Integrity; Incorporation by Reference This final rule establishes two new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) specifying performance requirements for all motor vehicles that use hydrogen as a fuel source. The final rule is based on… | 2024-31367 | |
| 2025-01-15 | Proposed Rule | ADS-Equipped Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation Program This document proposes a voluntary framework for the evaluation and oversight of motor vehicles equipped with automated driving systems (ADS). The ADS-equipped Vehicle Safety, Transparency, and Evaluation… | 40NHTSA-2024-0100 | 2024-30854 |
| 2025-01-03 | Rule | Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Occupant Crash Protection, Seat Belt Reminder Systems, Controls and Displays This document amends Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant crash protection," to require a seat belt use warning system for rear seats. The rule also updates and enhances the current… | 2024-30340 | |
| 2024-11-08 | Notice | HOLON U.S. Inc.-Receipt of Petition for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle HOLON and HOLON U.S. Inc have petitioned NHTSA for a temporary exemption from certain requirements in seven Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) for its "automated electric bus," which is a vehicle… | 19,049NHTSA-2024-0067 | 2024-25990 |
| 2023-09-07 | Proposed Rule | Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards; Occupant Crash Protection, Seat Belt Reminder Systems The Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act of 2012 (MAP-21) directs NHTSA to initiate a rulemaking proceeding to amend Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 208, "Occupant crash… | 53NHTSA-2023-0032 | 2023-18413 |
| 2023-06-30 | Notice | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)… | 4NHTSA-2023-0015 | 2023-13902 |
| 2023-06-13 | Proposed Rule | Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards: Automatic Emergency Braking Systems for Light Vehicles This NPRM proposes to adopt a new Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard to require automatic emergency braking (AEB), including pedestrian AEB (PAEB), systems on light vehicles. An AEB system uses various… | 1,099NHTSA-2023-0021 | 2023-11863 |
| 2023-04-06 | Notice | Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) invites public comments about our intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for an extension of a currently… | 3NHTSA-2023-0015 | 2023-07123 |
| 2023-03-31 | Notice | Ford Motor Company-Petition for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle; Withdrawal This notice notifies the public that Ford Motor Company (Ford) has withdrawn its July 2021 petition for temporary exemption from various requirements of the Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) for a… | 2023-06670 | |
| 2023-03-20 | Notice | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Request for Comment; Title: FMVSS Considerations for Vehicles With Automated Driving Systems: Seating Preference Study In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) summarized below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)… | 1NHTSA-2022-0018 | 2023-05569 |
| 2022-08-22 | Notice | General Motors-Receipt of Petition for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle; Request for Comments; Extension of Comment Period NHTSA received five requests to extend the comment period for a notice NHTSA published on July 21, 2022, seeking comment on NHTSA's receipt of a petition for temporary exemption from General Motors (GM). GM's… | 30NHTSA-2022-0067 | 2022-18103 |
| 2022-08-22 | Notice | Ford Motor Company-Receipt of Petition for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle; Request for Comments; Extension of Comment Period NHTSA received six requests to extend the comment period for a notice NHTSA published on July 21, 2022, seeking comment on NHTSA's receipt of a petition for temporary exemption from Ford Motor Company (Ford).… | 17NHTSA-2022-0066 | 2022-18102 |
| 2022-07-21 | Notice | General Motors-Receipt of Petition for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle General Motors (GM) has petitioned NHTSA for a temporary exemption from certain requirements in six Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSS) for its ADS-equipped vehicle, the "Cruise Origin."… | 50NHTSA-2022-0067 | 2022-15557 |
| 2022-07-21 | Notice | Ford Motor Company-Receipt of Petition for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for an Automated Driving System-Equipped Vehicle Ford Motor Company (Ford) has petitioned NHTSA for a temporary exemption from certain requirements in seven Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) for vehicles that will be equipped with automated… | 17NHTSA-2022-0066 | 2022-15556 |
| 2022-03-30 | Rule | Occupant Protection for Vehicles With Automated Driving Systems This final rule amends the occupant protection Federal motor vehicle safety standards (FMVSSs) to account for future vehicles that do not have the traditional manual controls associated with a human driver… | 2022-05426 | |
| 2022-03-07 | Notice | Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Title: FMVSS Considerations for Vehicles With Automated Driving Systems: Seating Preference Study The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) invites public comments about our intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a new information collection.… | 1NHTSA-2022-0018 | 2022-04755 |
| 2021-05-26 | Notice | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Automated Driving Systems 2.0 A Vision for Safety In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below will be forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)… | 3NHTSA-2021-0013 | 2021-11150 |
| 2021-01-29 | Proposed Rule | Framework for Automated Driving System Safety; Extension of Comment Period In response to a request from Venable LLC, NHTSA is announcing a 60-day extension of the comment period on an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) requesting comment on NHTSA's development of a… | 75NHTSA-2020-0106 | 2021-01150 |
| 2020-12-21 | Notice | Notice Regarding the Applicability of NHTSA FMVSS Test Procedures to Certifying Manufacturers The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Safety Act) prohibits the sale, manufacture for sale, import or introduction into interstate commerce of a motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment… | 12NHTSA-2020-0119 | 2020-28107 |
| 2020-12-03 | Proposed Rule | Framework for Automated Driving System Safety NHTSA is requesting comment on the development of a framework for Automated Driving System (ADS) safety. The framework would objectively define, assess, and manage the safety of ADS performance while ensuring… | 694NHTSA-2020-0106 | 2020-25930 |
| 2020-09-29 | Notice | Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)… | 1NHTSA-2020-0070 | 2020-21417 |
| 2020-07-02 | Notice | Agency Information Collection Activities; Notice and Request for Comment; Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) invites public comments about our intention to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a new information collection.… | 20NHTSA-2020-0070 | 2020-14227 |
| 2020-03-30 | Proposed Rule | Occupant Protection for Automated Driving Systems This proposal is one of a series of regulatory actions that NHTSA is considering to address the near- and long-term challenges of testing and verifying compliance with the Federal motor vehicle safety… | 51NHTSA-2020-0014 | 2020-05886 |
| 2020-02-11 | Notice | Nuro, Inc.; Grant of Temporary Exemption for a Low-Speed Vehicle With an Automated Driving System This notice grants the petition of Nuro, Inc. (Nuro) for a temporary exemption from three requirements of FMVSS No. 500 under two bases: (1) That an exemption would make the development or field evaluation of… | 2020-02668 | |
| 2019-07-29 | Proposed Rule | Removing Regulatory Barriers for Vehicles With Automated Driving Systems; Extension of Comment Period In response to a request from the public, NHTSA is announcing a 30-day extension of the comment period on the ANPRM on Removing Regulatory Barriers for Vehicles with Automated Driving Systems. The comment… | 38NHTSA-2019-0036 | 2019-16040 |
| 2019-05-28 | Proposed Rule | Removing Regulatory Barriers for Vehicles With Automated Driving Systems NHTSA is seeking public comment on the near- and long-term challenges of testing and verifying compliance with existing crash avoidance (100-series) Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSSs) for… | 65NHTSA-2019-0036 | 2019-11032 |
| 2019-03-19 | Notice | Nuro, Inc.; Receipt of Petition for Temporary Exemption for an Electric Vehicle With an Automated Driving System Nuro, Inc. (Nuro) has petitioned NHTSA for a temporary exemption from certain requirements in Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 500, which establishes standards for "Low-speed vehicles," on the… | 22NHTSA-2019-0017 | 2019-05121 |
| 2019-03-19 | Notice | General Motors, LLC-Receipt of Petition for Temporary Exemption From Various Requirements of the Safety Standards for an All-Electric Vehicle With an Automated Driving System In accordance with the procedures in the Temporary Exemption from Motor Vehicle Safety and Bumper Standards, General Motors, LLC, (GM) has applied for a temporary exemption for its driverless "Zero- Emission… | 45NHTSA-2019-0016 | 2019-05119 |
| 2018-03-02 | Notice | Reports, Forms and Record Keeping Requirements; Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review Before a Federal agency can collect certain information from the public, it must receive approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Under procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of… | 3NHTSA-2017-0080 | 2018-04213 |
| 2017-09-15 | Proposed Rule | Automated Driving Systems: A Vision for Safety NHTSA is releasing new voluntary guidance on automated driving systems--Automated Driving Systems: A Vision for Safety. The new voluntary guidance is based on public comments received on the Federal Automated… | 2,917NHTSA-2017-0082 | 2017-19637 |
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