House OKs bill boosting self-drive cars
A sweeping bill designed to spur nationwide tests of self-driving cars and allow as many as 100,000 new vehicles to take to the roads each year passed the House of Representatives with broad bipartisan support yesterday.
The bill would let the government release self-driving car companies from some safety standards that don’t apply to autonomous vehicles, like steering wheels and brake pedals, and would let companies add as many as 100,000 self-driving cars each year.
The Self Driving Coalition for Safer Streets — a group that includes Ford, Uber, Volvo and Waymo — praised the move.
“Self-driving vehicles offer an opportunity to significantly increase safety, improve transportation access for underserved communities, and transform how people, goods and services get from point A to B,” said David Strickland, the coalition’s general counsel.
Companies have been pushing for a federal bill governing AVs in the hopes of getting a uniform set of rules instead of a patchwork of state laws and regulations. Still, states would be able to decide whether and how to permit AVs under the bill. Massachusetts already has an in-depth application process that includes a phased testing plan and requires companies to have sufficient AV experience.
Though the bill had broad support from lawmakers, some safety and consumer groups said waiving safety standards could be a slippery slope.
In a letter to lawmakers, Cars and Product Policy for Consumers Union Director David Friedman wrote, “Exemptions from federal safety standards for AVs should be limited to equipment required exclusively for the driving task that may be fully replaced by automation.”
The bill will now go to the Senate, where legislators have been working on their own bill.