The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) hosted its Fall 2025 Safety Research Portfolio Public Meeting on November 20. See below the main topics discussed, which offer insights into the agency’s ongoing and future research initiatives aimed at improving roadway safety.

NHTSA’s Strategic Priorities

In his opening remarks, NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison shared the agency’s current key priorities:

  • Increase technical engagement between the automotive industry and stakeholders.
  • Enhance the agency’s transparency and communication with an outward-facing approach.
  • Work to bring down the average age of vehicles (currently 13 years), by making cars more affordable.
  • Deter risky driving behaviors such as impaired and distracted driving.
  • Improve emergency post-crash responses.
  • Promote technological innovation—especially automated driving—while maintaining a focus on safety.

NHTSA’s Current Projects: Highlights

The agency presented on various current research projects, focusing on advanced safety technologies and driving automation safety. Topics included:

  • Preventing Pediatric Vehicular Heatstroke: NHTSA has conducted research on detection systems for vehicles, which evaluated aftermarket, retrofit, and manufacturer-installed options. NHTSA plans to seek public input on new regulations requiring rear seat occupant detection.
  • Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA): NHTSA has been assessing ISA technologies, which can provide feedback to drivers in response to vehicle speed, for their potential to curb speeding-related fatalities. Studies highlight system effectiveness, driver feedback, and the need for further research on user acceptance and real-world impacts.
  • Automated Emergency Braking (AEB): This project evaluated AEB responses in scenarios involving motorcycles, bicycles, pedestrians, and emergency vehicles. Early findings suggest that lighting features and conditions affect detection, especially in darkness. Ongoing work aims to refine testing procedures and improve system reliability.
  • Motorcycle Rider Assistance Programs: These programs focus on alerts and stability control for motorcycles, with promising results for forward collision warning and blind spot detection systems.
  • Light Vehicle Pedestrian AEB Research: The agency has continued research into light vehicles’ AEB responses to pedestrians, including test track evaluation scenarios and procedures. Next steps include completion and dissemination of a technical report and consideration of US crash data to help refine the tests.
  • Applied Heavy Vehicle Pedestrian AEB (PAEB) Research: Heavy vehicles have been tested in loaded and unloaded states in pedestrian-along-path scenarios. Next steps include testing other systems such as lane keep assist and electronic stability control.
  • Rear Automatic Braking (RAB) System Test Procedure Development: NHTSA has developed procedures for examining RAB systems’ potential to help mitigate backover crashes. A technical report is being prepared for agency review.
  • Headlighting System Research: NHTSA is compiling quantitative data on headlamp systems to inform rulemaking designed to ensure better visibility and safe beam aiming, in response to Congress’s 2021 directive to NHTSA to amend FMVSS 108 to include performance-based systems for vehicle headlamp systems.
  • Augmented Reality Testing: NHTSA has been making efforts to validate augmented reality testing for autonomous vehicle (AV) research, but there are continued challenges to replicating real-world scenarios.
  • Risk Assessment Driver Monitoring: The objectives of this research are to review studies on driver monitoring systems (DMS) and identify DMS use in current L2/L3 systems and concepts on the horizon to identify key risks and mitigation strategies. The agency is currently working on functional safety analyses and plans to draft a project report.
  • Refinement of a Ground Truth Trip Recorder and Additional Data Collection: NHTSA is working on advancements in crash data recorders (GTTR) to improve the analysis of safety and crash risks for both human-driven vehicles and AVs.
  • Preventive Maintenance for Automated Systems: The goal of this program is to develop a state-of-the-art preventive maintenance program for vehicles with ADS that proactively manages safety by addressing durability risks.

Automated Driving Systems (ADS) Workshop: Regulatory and Operational Insights

The agency also hosted an Open House Table Topics session, where subject matter experts discussed specific topics of interest, including autonomous vehicle FMVSS exemptions, FMVSS Modernization Recommendations for ADS Purpose Built Vehicles, NHTSA’s incident and data reporting, and state and local jurisdictional concerns. In his opening remarks, Administrator Morrison noted the agency’s launch of three new rulemakings to modernize FMVSS standards to accommodate AVs without manual driving controls, expansion of the Automated Vehicle Exemption Program to include domestically produced vehicles, and revisions to its General Order on Crash Reporting for ADS-equipped vehicles which decreases reporting burdens.

Looking Forward

NHTSA’s Fall 2025 meeting underscored the agency’s commitment to innovation and safety. As emerging technologies reshape driving, NHTSA’s research portfolio aims to address both immediate and long-term challenges—particularly with respect to autonomous vehicle regulations.

Tags: AVs, Jonathan Morrison, NHTSA
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Photo of Rachael Padgett Rachael Padgett

Rachael Padgett’s practice focuses on the intersection of litigation and regulatory counseling, and she has a passion for advising clients on how to navigate product risk and achieve creative solutions.

As a counsel in the Litigation and Transportation Groups, Rachael handles matters involving…

Rachael Padgett’s practice focuses on the intersection of litigation and regulatory counseling, and she has a passion for advising clients on how to navigate product risk and achieve creative solutions.

As a counsel in the Litigation and Transportation Groups, Rachael handles matters involving product liability litigation, supply chain contract disputes, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Department of Transportation regulatory counseling, and Consumer Product Safety Commission reporting and investigations. With a focus on the transportation, micromobility, railroad, and retail product industries, she represents clients facing complex, high-stakes problems using a thoughtful, human approach to minimize client exposure and resolve disputes effectively.

Rachael maintains a pro bono practice with a focus on representing children in immigration cases and as guardian ad litem.

During law school, Rachael served as articles editor for The George Washington Law Review and received numerous awards, including the Jacob Burns Award for the First Place Team in the Van Vleck Constitutional Law Moot Court Competition, the Henry R. Berger Award for Excellence in the Area of Tort Law, and the Jennie Hassler Walburn Award for Excellence in the Area of Civil Procedure. She also worked as a judicial intern for the Honorable Michael O’Keefe in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia’s Family Court and regularly volunteered at the Family Court Self-Help Center.

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