US: Autonomous cars need tougher rules

New York: Accidents involving autonomous cars could slow the advance of the technology and demonstrate the need for tougher federal standards, a leading highway safety advocate said Thursday. “Having some basic rules of the road that everyone follows will benefit everyone because if one company fails at ensuring safety, it will affect all companies and consumer support,” said Catherine Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. In an address to a safety conference at the New York Auto Show, Ms Chase alluded to last week’s fatal accident in Arizona involving an Uber vehicle and called for tougher federal standards and an overhaul of autonomous driving legislation moving through Congress. Besides the Uber accident, questions about self- driving cars surfaced after another fatal crash last week in California in which a Tesla owner died. Both accidents are under investigation.