House approves bill to speed deployment of vehicles

WASHINGTON» The House 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 concerns 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 still would decide whether to permit self-driving cars on their roads. Generally, the federal government regulates the vehicle, while states regulate the driver.

Automakers have complained that a patchwork of laws states have passed in recent years would hamper deployment of the vehicles, which they see as the future of the industry.

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 Senate, the two versions would have to be reconciled before President Donald Trump could sign it into law.

The House bill is the product of extensive negotiations between Democrats and Republicans, a rare of example of bipartisan agreement in a Congress riven by political and ideological differences.

The bill permits the deployment of up to 25,000 self-driving vehicles in its first year, rising to 100,000 vehicles annually in the third year.

Automakers say safety standards requiring things like steering wheels and brake pedals don’t make sense. But consumer and safety groups say the bill could permit the government to exempt self-driving vehicles from occupant protection and crashworthiness standards as well.