In a unanimous vote, the House advanced legislation this week created by U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), which would implement the SELF DRIVE Act and push for development and deployment of self-driving vehicles.
“Automated vehicles have the potential to transform mobility in this country – reducing congestion on our roads, providing greater independence to seniors and those with disabilities, and helping to prevent the 35,000 deaths on our roadways each year,” Dingell said. “This is also fundamentally an issue of American competitiveness. Automated vehicles are going to be developed whether we like it or not. The question is whether the United States will remain in the driver’s seat as opposed to China, Japan, or even the EU who are all making significant investments in this space.”
The bill was previously advanced by the House Energy and Commerce Committee—also unanimously. What it does is create the regulatory framework for self-driving vehicles, putting in place the first steps for actually implementing and addressing the safety of these vehicles. Overseeing various aspects of this would be a newly created Federal Advisory Committee within the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It would also create exemptions for existing motor vehicle safety standards for the sake of furthering development of these vehicles. Further, it demands the NHTSA create new standards for self-driving vehicles and that manufacturers themselves create a cybersecurity plan for them.
“This issue is so important for Michigan,” Dingell said. “Our state is synonymous with the development of the automobile; we transformed transportation and mobility with great inventors like Henry Ford, the Chryslers, Buick, and the Fisher brothers who all had a vision to make people’s lives better. This isn’t just about moving people from point A to point B, it is about human progress – the freedom of mobility to help make people’s lives better and change the way the world moves.”