The group also unveiled safety principles related to driver monitoring in vehicles with driver-assist systems as part of a public statement by most automakers to ensure the technologies are used safely and effectively.
The comprehensive effort comes amid more than two dozen open investigations by NHTSA into Tesla crashes, some involving the electric vehicle maker's Autopilot driver-assist system.
Tesla is not a member of the alliance.
"We know that these technologies can help save lives," John Bozzella, CEO of the alliance, told Automotive News last week. "We also know that these technologies depend on the driver being central to the driving task."
He said recent Tesla crashes have "raised questions" about consumer understanding of driver-assist systems, which include features such as lane-keeping support, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot intervention and automatic high beams.
"As these technologies become more prevalent — and the opportunity to save lives with these technologies is therefore more prevalent — it becomes increasingly important for us to make sure that there is awareness and an understanding of how the technologies work," he said, referring to driver-assistance as a "guardian angel" that supports the driver in certain situations.
While Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving — both systems that require a fully attentive driver — have grabbed headlines, many of the alliance's members also have announced plans to equip more of their vehicles with driver-assist systems.
For instance, GM said last year it will expand its Super Cruise technology to 22 nameplates by 2023.
Ford has said its hands-free BlueCruise driver-assist system will be offered on the 2022 F-150 Lightning battery-electric pickup unveiled last week. The automaker's technology also is set to debut this year on the Mustang Mach-E and gasoline-powered F-150.
Desi Ujkashevic, global director of Ford's automotive safety engineering office, said the industry is at an inflection point as the technology becomes more widely available.
"What we don't want to do is mislead the driver to believe that all of a sudden they are no longer in control," she said during a virtual discussion on vehicle safety technologies hosted by the alliance last week.
Ujkashevic said the key to consumer acceptance is trust of the technology, which can be built by educating consumers on benefits and limitations.
"We, as an industry, need to be responsible in how we talk about these technologies," she said. "We need to continue to be mindful of assist technologies and remind drivers that, ultimately, they need to command the driving experience or the driving task."
Still, as more vehicles are equipped with driver-assist systems and incidences of misuse surface, consumer advocacy groups such as the Center for Auto Safety are pressing NHTSA to create performance standards and require features such as forward-collision warnings on all vehicles.
The strategy "will not only save lives now but will be part of the slow climb to AVs, which work hand in glove with human drivers," Jason Levine, the center's executive director, said last week in prepared testimony delivered to a U.S. House subcommittee.
NHTSA has not yet issued specific regulations or performance standards for advanced driver-assistance systems. However, the agency said it plans to announce upgrades and improvements to the New Car Assessment Program this year.
While the alliance supports providing driver monitoring as a standard feature on vehicles equipped with such technology, its chief executive said the priorities for now are education and awareness.
"There's a comprehensive approach that we've advocated for through the driver-monitoring principles and with regard to modernizing NCAP," Bozzella said. "I think, really, that ought to be the focus."
