A federal regulator has declined a request to require automated vehicle (AV) developers and government agencies to submit test and safety data into an AV testing database, asserting that such a change to the current voluntary system would go beyond the program’s scope.

The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association sought the change through comments filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. OOIDA stated that while it supported NHTSA’s Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing (AV TEST) Initiative, the voluntary structure of the program prevents it from providing the public “direct and easy access” to information on AV testing, development and safety…

In a notice scheduled to publish on Friday, NHTSA responded that the objective of the AV TEST Initiative is to provide the public with “a centralized database of high-level information about ADS testing activities and state and local laws, recommendations, and initiatives.