Overview
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed amending FMVSS No. 135 to remove the requirement for a physical brake pedal in vehicles designed to operate only under automated driving systems, and the rule is now in a 30-day public comment period so it is not final.
- NHTSA says braking performance rules will remain in force and that vehicles without pedals must meet the same stopping-distance tests used today, while the agency retains authority to investigate defects and order recalls.
- Purpose-built autonomous-vehicle makers such as Zoox and Tesla stand to gain because the change removes a hardware barrier that previously forced companies to seek exemptions or add manual controls to comply with federal law.
- Safety advocates are urging NHTSA to set clear, quantitative performance benchmarks before relaxing hardware rules, and states could still limit vehicle registration or road access even if federal standards are rewritten.
- The proposal is part of Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy’s Automated Vehicle Framework that shifts the government from case-by-case exemptions to rewritten FMVSS rules, a move that could lower regulatory risk for investors but still depends on the rulemaking timeline and state responses.