House passes bill to speed deployment of driverless cars
States would decide on if they will allow self-driving autos.
The House WASHINGTON — voted Wednesday to speed
the introduction of self-driving cars by giving the federal government authority to exempt automakers from safety standards not applicable to the technology, and to permit deployment of up to 100,000 of the vehicles annually over the next several years.
The bill was passed by a voice vote. State and local officials have raised concern that it limits their ability to protect the safety of their citizens by giving to the federal government sole authority to regulate the vehicles’ design and performance. States would still decide whether to permit self-driving cars on their roads. Generally, the federal government regu- lates the vehicle, while states regulate the driver. Automakers have com
plained that a patchwork of laws that states have passed in recent years would hamper deployment of the vehicles, which they see as
the future of the industry. Self-driving cars are fore- cast to dramatically lower traffic fatalities once they are on roads in significant numbers, among other benefits. Early estimates indicate there were more than 40,000 traffic fatalities last year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 94 percent of crashes involve human error.
Members of the Senate Commerce committee are also working on self-driving car legislation, but a bill hasn’t been introduced. If a measure passes the full Sen-
ate, the two versions would have to be reconciled before President Donald Trump could sign it into law.
The House bill is the prod- uct of extensive negotia- tions between Democrats and Republicans, a rare of example of bipartisan agree- ment in a Congress riven by political and ideological dif- ferences.
The measure “gives the auto industry the tools to revolutionize how we’re going to get around for generations to come,” said Rep. Fred Upton, a Michigan Repub- lican.
Rep. Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, said the bill “is fundamentally an issue of American com- petitiveness” since foreign automakers are develop- ing self-driving cars as well.
The bill addresses “a vari- ety of barriers that otherwise block the ability to safely test and deploy these vehicle technologies,” the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers said in a statement. T he bill permits t he
deployment of up to 25,000 self-driving vehicles in its first year, rising to 100,000 vehicles annually in the third year.
But consumer and safety groups say they remain concerned the bill will weaken safety standards and undermine public acceptance of
the vehicles if a defect led to crashes and fatalities.
“Unfortunately, this legislation takes an unnecessary and unacceptable hands-off approach to hands-free driving,” leaders of seven groups wrote lawmakers.