Ford Motor Company has voluntarily issued a comprehensive report to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that outlines the way the manufacturer is approaching self-driving vehicle development, including a focus on safety.

The report is an updated version of Ford’s original safety self-assessment issued to the DOT in 2018.

The report emphasizes that Ford’s engineering team continues to work with Argo AI to advance the development of a robust Automated Driving System to guide Ford’s vehicles on the road. In fact, Ford’s self-driving vehicle systems have redundancies and are designed to be fail-functional. For instance, if one system loses operation, the automated driving system can still stop the vehicle using the redundant control or power system. 

Ford’s collaboration with cities is another important way of enhancing safety. Working closely with various cities is critical, as every metropolis has unique transportation needs. 

For example, Ford collaborated at the city, county, and state level to begin researching complex intersections in Miami, ultimately designing a “smart infrastructure” there. Ford says its self-driving vehicles will be fully capable of safely navigating the streets on their own. The OEM is exploring ways to provide self-driving vehicles with even more information before they approach busy or tricky intersections, giving them additional context about the activity ahead — and ultimately, boosting safety for all road users.

The report also covers safety progress as it concerns new launch markets for the self-driving cars, expanded testing and pilots, and the effects of COVID-19.