Senators tell NHTSA to make way for self-driving cars

US Senators Cory A. Booker and Deb Fisher, members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, have sent a bipartisan letter to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) administrator Mark Rosekind to request an update on agency policies related to automated vehicle technology and to urge the NHTSA to embrace policies that promote innovation in and the improved safety benefits of the technology. “These technologies promise to significantly reduce roadway accidents, shorten
March 23, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
US Senators Cory A. Booker and Deb Fisher, members of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, have sent a bipartisan letter to 834 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) administrator Mark Rosekind to request an update on agency policies related to automated vehicle technology and to urge the NHTSA to embrace policies that promote innovation in and the improved safety benefits of the technology.

“These technologies promise to significantly reduce roadway accidents, shorten commutes, and increase productivity for the American people in the coming years. We look forward to working with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to accelerate the safety benefits of this technology and encourage states as they consider its potential,” the senators wrote.

In order to ensure that Congress effectively partners with the NHTSA, the senators requested answers to questions such as : what steps the NHTSA is taking towards finalising a policy on automated vehicles that embraces innovation and improved safety benefits; How NHTSA is providing guidance to states on the safe exploration of this new technology; What guidance NHTSA is providing to industry on the submission of requests for interpretation regarding the application of FMVSS to autonomous vehicle technologies; and hat barriers exist to the research and integration of autonomous vehicles that Congress could address.
Location Based Systems Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Trends in automotive technology
    March 14, 2012
    Continental has become a leading player in vehicle technology and telematics. The firm’s executive board chairman Elmar Degenhart describes to Jason Barnes Continental’s views on the ‘megatrends’ of the automotive industry Strategic moves to diversify Continental’s business from rubber-related products began in the late 1990s with the acquisition of ITT Teves and its brake business. This brought on board know-how relating to the then new electronic stability control (ESC) systems which today form an import
    Read More
  • Preparing for connected vehicle technology challenge
    December 14, 2012
    A decision on mandating connected vehicle technology is expected in 2013, when associated political issues such as privacy are likely to come to the fore. Pete Goldin investigates industry’s preparations for the challenge. Once in a while new technology comes along with the power to revolutionise the way we live our lives. Connected vehicle technology could be such a game changer. If mandated in the United States, it could quickly become the status quo for transportation in the US, and such a disruptive cha
    Read More
  • US university investigates smart car tyres
    January 15, 2016
    Researchers at Virginia Tech, Penn State University, and 12 industry partners are collaborating on a US$1.2 million National Science Foundation-funded project to integrate sensors into car tyres, with the aim of providing information on the vehicle’s speed and road conditions. Saied Taheri, an associate professor of mechanical engineering in Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering and the director of the Center for Tire Research (CenTiRe), is the project’s lead investigator. Taheri has been working for
    Read More
  • Website tracks health effects of walking and cycling
    August 8, 2017
    Andrew Bardin Williams looks at a new online biking and walking benchmark report that allows transportation practitioners to compare communities and track progress. Transportation and public health are inextricably linked. The more people are encouraged to opt out of single occupancy vehicles, the healthier the overall community becomes. Sure, fewer pollutants are released into the air and commuters spend less time in traffic, but it’s the push to get people to ditch fully motorised transportation options a
    Read More

Highlighted Content