Revised September 2025 with current title
Originally approved January 2019 titled "Autonomous Self-Driving Vehicles"
Decades of work on automobile safety have significantly reduced the rate of fatal motor vehicle injuries. However, over one hundred Americans still die each day in motor vehicle accidents, and many more are injured or severely disabled. Autonomous driving features may further help reduce motor vehicle accidents and resulting injuries. Autonomous vehicle technology exists on a spectrum from assisting features - such as blind spot monitoring - up to self-driving vehicles. Given the potential benefits, risks, and developing implementation of autonomous vehicle technology, the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP):
- Encourages a coordinated effort by advocacy groups, transportation companies, vehicle manufacturers, federal and state agencies, and the medical community to leverage autonomous vehicle technology responsibly and transparently to reduce the risk of injury and death associated with transportation.
- Recommends that vehicle manufacturers be required to share all relevant safety data with regulators for the purpose of analyzing accidents and near-misses for quality improvement. Aggregate data should also be available for analysis by policymakers, researchers, and safety organizations to help shape policy.
- Recommends ongoing research into strategies to define and amplify benefits, mitigate risk, and apply liability appropriately for autonomous vehicle features.
- Encourages state governments and local municipalities to provide active oversight and promote the prudent use and fielding of appropriately tested autonomous driving systems on public roads.
- Supports the efforts of lawmakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to update the regulatory framework to facilitate the development of autonomous vehicle technologies while maximizing public safety.
