Automakers embraced guidelines rolled out by the Obama administration to oversee the creation of self-driving cars, saying the new policy strikes a balance between safety and fast-moving technological developments. Ahead of today’s announcement of the first version of federal rules and regulations for autonomous vehicles, Obama wrote an op-ed titled “Self-driving, yes, but also safe”, in Monday’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, as reported by The Verge.
Advertisement
“Automated vehicles will save Americans time, money and lives, and that’s why we are putting out the rules of the road for self-driving cars”.
Right now, too many people die on our roads – 35,200 past year alone – with 94 percent of those the result of human error or choice. He argued that the technology could also change the lives of senior citizens with disabilities for whom driving is hard.
Obama said: “If a self-driving auto isn’t safe, we have the authority to pull it off the road. Strides in this technology have the potential to improve safety on our roads and reduce congestion in urban areas”, Ford said. That’s what harnessing technology for good can look like.
That’s why President Obama is proposing a 15 point plan that will keep driverless technology safe and attractive to the public – but still give carmakers the freedom they need to go out and test their technology. “But we have to get it right”, Obama wrote.
The White House will ask the developers to sign a 15-point safety checklist.
States have historically set the rules for licensing drivers, but when the driver becomes a computer, “we intend to occupy the field here, ” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said. New rules for these vehicles could help convince the American public that autonomous cars don’t pose a serious threat to anyone’s wellbeing despite their current limitations.
The rush to get these self-driving cars out for the sake of innovation should not be overshadowed by the reasons why they were made in the first place: to make humans safer and technology better.
In a written piece, US President Barack Obama expresses support for the automation of automobiles. Officials said that the federal government, rather than states, should be in charge of regulation.
The agency, which is part of the Transportation Department, released guidelines showing how NHTSA can use its recall authority to regulate new technology. “That’s why this new policy is flexible and created to evolve with new advances”. Autonomous cars are no longer a futuristic vision.
Advertisement
After several auto accidents made news, such as the fatal crash by a Tesla vehicle and 18 accidents reported by Google’s self-driving operations, the level of uncertainty about the safety of the cars remains prevalent. In addition to traffic dangers, the president addresses problems self-driving cars may cause off the road.
