Why companies don’t share AV crash data – and how they could - Robohub

The article discusses why autonomous vehicle (AV) companies rarely share crash and safety data, despite the critical role such data plays in improving AV safety. A team of Cornell researchers explored this issue, identifying that AV firms view safety data as a competitive asset rather than a public good, leading to limited data sharing. Their study, based on interviews with 12 AV safety employees, revealed a wide variety of proprietary data sets with little common knowledge exchange. Key barriers include the political and sensitive nature of sharing data that reveals machine-learning models and infrastructure, and regulatory frameworks in the U.S. and Europe that mandate only minimal crash information, omitting crucial contextual factors behind accidents. To promote data sharing, the researchers propose separating safety knowledge from proprietary technical details. For instance, companies could share accident descriptions without raw video footage that exposes their internal systems. They also suggest developing standardized "exam questions" or test scenarios that all AVs must pass, enabling benchmarking without revealing sensitive data. Academic institutions could serve as neutral intermediaries