Requirements for the Next-Generation Autonomous Vehicle Ecosystem

Autonomous vehicle (AV) technology is a huge leap forward in capability for mobility. To be effective, the current human based vehicle safety infrastructure will have to be upgraded. A critical leg of this infrastructure is the automobile accident report. Conventional vehicle accident reports have evolved to a point where law enforcement have a reasonably standard approach focused on humans. However, with AVs there are no drivers to interview. Also, given their automation, a flaw found in an AV has the potential to be a systemic risk. In this respect, AVs must be handled more like airplanes in terms of post accident procedures. In this paper, we explore the requirements for AV accident reports and the escalation procedures required to avoid systemic risks. Our methodology is to analyze all the information available (crash reports as well as press accounts) of AV accidents to date with a special focus on the fatal accidents. As a result of this work, a recommendation of an AV crash report template, associated escalation procedure, and an infrastructure for accumulated learning is presented.