Top officials in the Obama administration will announce a plan on Thursday to speed the development of self-driving cars, according to Reuters.
Advertisement
Foxx (pictured below) said the funding request will be part of President Obama’s 2017 budget proposal, helping to launch pilot programs to further test and accelerate self-driving technology.
Automakers have made a decision to have an agreement with the USA government for important changes in laws related to safety.
The federal government will propose best practices for safely operating autonomous vehicles within six months.
However, a clear legal framework governing the presence of driver-less cars on United States roads had not been drawn up.
DOT and NHTSA will develop the new tools necessary for this new era of vehicle safety and mobility, and will consider seeking new authorities when they are necessary to ensure that fully autonomous vehicles, including those designed without a human driver in mind, are deployable in large numbers when they are demonstrated to provide an equivalent or higher level of safety than is now available.
Ultimately, the concern is that without widespread legislation, autonomy could be regulated by a jumble of states and municipalities with their own distinctive laws. Foxx will discuss the revitalizing potential of a number of auto-industry innovations, including self-driving technology, WiFi-connected cars, and vehicles running on electric batteries.
“We know that 83 percent of auto accidents are due to human error”, Foxx said. Exemption authority allows NHTSA to enable the deployment of up to 2,500 vehicles for up to two years if the agency determines that an exemption would ease development of new safety features.
“Automated vehicles open up possibilities for saving lives, saving time and saving fuel”, said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx at a press conference at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Automakers say partially self-driving cars are months to years away, while completely self-driving cars could be anywhere from a few years to a few decades away.
Advertisement
“The goal is to offer a path to consistent policies on autonomous vehicles”, Foxx said in a statement.
