US to unveil lighter regulations for self-driving vehicles

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Automakers will have an easier track to releasing autonomous vehicles after Tuesday, as US Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao plans to reveal new, streamlined safety guidelines for the industry, a person briefed on the matter said Monday.

The new Transportation Department policy is expected to offer the lighter regulatory touch that automakers have pushed for. For example, the Transportation Department is expected to state that automakers do not have to seek approval from regulators before putting self-driving vehicles on the road.

Separately, the US National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday is expected to release findings that Tesla’s semi-autonomous Autopilot mode was a contributing factor in the May 2016 death of a motorist. That case has highlighted concerns about the design of systems that automate some, but not all, driving tasks.

The new document is titled “A Vision for Safety” and will be less than half the length of the Obama administration guidelines released in September 2016 and will be less “burdensome,” the person briefed on the announcement said.

GM Photo

On Wednesday, the US House of Representatives voted unanimously on a measure to clear legal obstacles that could discourage automakers and technology companies from putting self-driving cars into broader use.

The House measure would allow automakers to field up to 25,000 vehicles without meeting existing auto safety standards in the first year. Over three years, the cap would rise to 100,000 vehicles annually. Automakers would be required to provide regulators with safety assessments of their systems, but would not have to get federal approval to put autonomous cars on the road.

A group of senators introduced a similar draft bill on Friday.

In September 2016, the Obama administration proposed that automakers voluntarily submit details of self-driving vehicle systems in a 15-point “safety assessment” and urged states to defer to the federal government on most vehicle regulations.

An auto trade group representing General Motors, Volkswagen, Toyota and others, objected to the Obama administration proposal.

The General Motors unit developing autonomous vehicles said Monday it has begun rolling out the first "mass producible" self-driving cars that could be available once regulations allow.

Source(s): Reuters