The House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee are partnering to draft a self-driving car bill—and Congress wants investors in the autonomous car industry to help.
The two houses sent letters to automakers and investors in the autonomous vehicles (AV) industry, and they’re asking for input by August 23, 2019.
They want to implement a regulatory framework for self-driving cars, but they need feedback on a few key issues to do this. These sectors include cybersecurity as well as privacy and accessibility, which, ultimately, were reasons why two bills (AV START and SELF DRIVE) did not pass in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
No specific numbers on how many shareholders were requested to give feedback—or which ones—but lawmakers said that they’re working with automotive and safety groups to get feedback for the framework.
These regulations could impact the future of self-driving vehicles, and, some even believe, save lives. Last year, lack of safety regulations caused the AV START Act to fail, and left senators calling for better safety and cybersecurity regulations.
While the US Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) are constantly updating their autonomous vehicle guidelines, states are passing their own laws that vary. Having a universal framework for the regulation and safety of self-driving cars could give the industry the push it needs to get more of these vehicles on the road.
Source: The Verge