Reading Autonomous Vehicle Crash Reports Carefully
Published
Agency order in effect. Law checked through October 18, 2026.
Thucydides warned his readers that he had tested every report against other accounts, because witnesses of the same event rarely told the same story. Federal crash data on automated vehicles deserves the same discipline.
NHTSA's Standing General Order 2021-01, in its third amended form issued April 24, 2025 and effective June 16, 2025, requires named manufacturers and operators to report certain crashes in which an automated driving system (SAE Levels 3 through 5) or a Level 2 driver-assistance system was engaged within 30 seconds of impact. The most serious crashes must be reported within five days; others, monthly.
The agency itself cautions against reading the data as a scorecard. The reports are not normalized for miles driven or fleet size, so a larger fleet will report more crashes without being less safe. One crash may produce several reports, from more than one company. Companies with rich telematics learn of crashes quickly, while many Level 2 systems record little, so reporting reflects what manufacturers know rather than what happened. Reports are filed on deadlines, sometimes before facts are confirmed, and early reports have occasionally mislabeled driver assistance as automated driving.
In Austin, where several driverless fleets operate, SGO entries are already cited in news coverage. A report is an early account, not a finding of fault.
Limits
The order governs reporting, not safety performance. Its data can support questions; on its own, it cannot answer them.