General Motors and Toyota Motor officials will tell a U.S. House panel on Tuesday that car manufacturers need changes to vehicle safety rules to enable the deployment of self-driving automobiles on American roads.
“Without modifications to those policies, it may be years before the promise of today’s technology can be realized and thousands of preventable deaths that could have been avoided will take place,” stated Mike Abelson, vice president of global strategy at General Motors, in composed testimony provided on Monday. “It is imperative that manufacturers have the ability to test these cars in greater numbers.”
On Monday, Senator Gary Peters, and Senator John Thune said in a joint statement they are exploring legislation that “clears hurdles and advances innovation in self-driving automobile technology” and hope to propose a joint bill in 2017.
Under present law, the U.S. Transportation Department can exempt approximately 2,500 cars in a 12-month duration from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) car rules.
Representative Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, stated earlier that she is preparing legislation that would lift the present cap.
Gill Pratt, chief executive of the Toyota Research Institute, will inform the committee, according to advance statement: “It is necessary that the government start looking beyond testing to release of these systems” and need to update vehicle safety standards “to address the handful of standards that are inconsistent with or incompatible with autonomous car technology.”
Lyft public policy Vice President Joseph Okpaku will inform the panel “our goal to run a pilot in a major city this year that will allow consumers to enjoy, for the first time, a Lyft in an autonomous car.”
Anders Karrberg, vice president of government affairs for Volvo Car Group, is ready to inform the panel its “Drive Me” pilot testing of autonomous cars in Sweden could be reached the United States however given “uncertainty regarding different U.S. state propositions, laws and policies” it is not yet making a remark.
U.S. auto executives informed President Donald Trump at a conference some policies stand in the way of self-driving cars, individuals briefed on the talks stated.
