A group of nearly four-dozen automakers, industry advocacy groups and corporations sent a letter to Congressional leaders urging action on legislation that would allow for greater deployment of autonomous vehicles.
(TNS) — A group of nearly four-dozen automakers, industry advocacy groups and corporations sent a letter to Congressional leaders Wednesday urging action on legislation that would allow for greater deployment of autonomous vehicles.
They called on lawmakers to maintain the balance of power between local and federal government — currently, the federal government regulates vehicles and states and cities regulate drivers, posing a potential problem for a future in which those two become one — and create "rigorous safety standards" for the new technology.
"The
American companies developing autonomous vehicles fear they may fall behind competitors in other countries — namely,
Existing safety standards assume the presence of a human driver, which requires automakers to seek waivers from federal regulators to develop cars without traditional controls such as steering wheels or pedals.
Each company can seek an exemption from the rules for up to 2,500 vehicles. But industry advocates say that is both too low to justify the massive costs of creating the vehicles to be tested and that it puts the
There have been efforts in
Industry advocates say they believe the Biden administration may be more willing than the Trump administration to take action to regulate AVs going forward.
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