U.S. panel approves bill on self-driving cars

SENATE IS NEXT STEP

and employment concerns.

The measure is the first significant federal legislation addressing self-driving cars. It would allow automakers to win exemptions from safety rules that require cars to have human controls. States could set rules on registration, licensing, liability, insurance and safety inspections, but not performance standards.

Senator John Thune, the Republican who chairs the Commerce Committee, said the bill “underscores the bipartisan desire to move ahead with self-driving vehicle technology . ... The safety and economic benefits of self-driving vehicles are too critical to delay.”

Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal sought to amend the bill to require human controls in an emergency, but dropped it in the face of opposition.

Several Republican senators noted the strong support of trucking organizations to include vehicles over 10,000 pounds, but Democrats resisted that part of the proposal. Tesla Inc., Alphabet, Uber Technologies Inc. and others have said they are working on self-driving trucks.

After lengthy negotiations, congressional aides Wednesday resolved a dispute that threatened to derail the bill over whether it would pre-empt state lawsuits over faulty self-driving vehicles. They added language to the bill aimed at preserving legal rights to sue over defective vehicles.

Within three years, the bill would allow automakers to each sell up to 80,000 selfdriving vehicles annually if they could demonstrate they are as safe as current vehicles. Auto safety advocates complained it lacked sufficient safeguards.

The phase-in schedule was revised to initially allow 15,000 per manufacturer in the first year and up to 80,000 after three years, down from 50,000 to start and up to 100,000 in three years. It would eliminate the cap after four years.

The bill grants the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) authority to exempt vehicles from federal safety requirements and the agency would have to make a determination within six months of getting a request.

The Self-Driving Coalition, a group of automakers, tech firms and advocates for the disabled, said the legislation “will help ensure that the United States leads the world in self-driving innovation.” Within three years, a U.S. bill would allow automakers each to sell up to 80,000 selfdriving vehicles annually if they could demonstrate they are as safe as current vehicles.