Are self-driving cars safe? Highway regulator orders industry to cough up the data The order applies to highly automated vehicles including robotic cars that donât require a human driver. Â Â In this Sunday, June 27, 2021, photograph, a handful of unsold 2021 Model 3 sedans sits in a near-empty lot at a Tesla dealership in Littleton, Colo. [ DAVID ZALUBOWSKI | AP ] By Russ Mitchell Los Angeles Times (TNS) Published 3 hours ago After years of inaction, the federal government will begin collecting crash data on automated vehicles. The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration on Tuesday ordered dozens of car, truck and technology companies to inform the agency of a serious crash within a day of learning about it, with a more complete data report due after ten days.