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U.S. to Let Automakers Self-Police Self-Driving Car Development
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
The U.S. Transportation Department unveiled a new policy that permits companies developing autonomous vehicles to self-police the technology’s safety, a move that drew plaudits from automakers but criticism from safety advocates.
Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said the policy incorporates concerns raised by companies and others about initial guidance released by the Obama administration and will help the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration be flexible as self-driving vehicles develop.
Chao said the voluntary guidelines are appropriate to support the technology that she said has the potential to reduce the more than 30,000 traffic fatalities in the U.S. each year and boost the economy by saving fuel and cutting time spent in traffic.
“Safety is a primary concern of the department’s automated vehicle policy,” Chao said in remarks at an autonomous vehicle testing site in Michigan. “NHTSA will continue to exercise its defect, recall and enforcement authority, where appropriate, but the benefits of automated vehicle systems extend beyond safety.”