US Transportation Secretary wants more pre-market testing of autonomous cars

Speaking at a self-driving convention in San Francisco, US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told delegates that government regulators and the automotive industry must work together to test autonomous driving technology before the vehicles hit the road, reports Associated Press. He said a more rigorous review of robotic controls is needed to reassure consumers that autonomous vehicles are safe before people entrust their vehicle’s steering and brakes to a robot. "This could help assure consumers t
July 22, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Speaking at a self-driving convention in San Francisco, US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told delegates that government regulators and the automotive industry must work together to test autonomous driving technology before the vehicles hit the road, reports Associated Press.

He said a more rigorous review of robotic controls is needed to reassure consumers that autonomous vehicles are safe before people entrust their vehicle’s steering and brakes to a robot.

"This could help assure consumers that the vehicles that they are getting into are stress tested," Foxx said.

He also advised automakers to assume people will be tempted to take foolhardy risks when they activate the autonomous features in a car, making it imperative to design vehicles that minimise the chances of irresponsible behaviour.

His remarks come a few weeks after the driver of a Tesla crashed into a truck in Florida while using the vehicle’s AutoPilot feature. The crash is still under investigation.

Foxx plans to propose guidelines for autonomous vehicles later this summer.
Location Based Systems

Related Content

  • USDOT Smart City Challenge explained
    June 3, 2016
    Mark Dowd, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology, US Department of Transportation, will join keynote speaker Frank DiGiammarino of Amazon Web Services (AWS) on stage at 2:00pm on Wednesday, June 15 in Grand Ballroom 220A of McEnery Convention Centre to close out ITS America 2016 San Jose.
    Read More
  • Intelligent powertrains could make cost cuts
    April 30, 2020
    Intelligent vehicle powertrains could be a way of making substantial cuts in operating costs and emissions. David Crawford looks at some far-reaching initiatives in Europe and North America
    Read More
  • Connected car data – both opportunities and challenges for auto OEMs, says KPMG
    November 14, 2016
    Data collected through connected cars will present automakers with tremendous business opportunities to enhance customer experiences while at the same time also posing inherent risks, according to a new KPMG report, Your Connected Car is Talking: Who's Listening? KPMG's national automotive leader, Gary Silberg, notes that, while OEMs can use data collected through connected vehicles to optimise performance, reliability and safety of vehicles they produce, failure to get cyber-security right could have a
    Read More
  • Ohio moving towards self-driving vehicle testing
    August 23, 2016
    Ohio's toll road, a heavily travelled connector between the East Coast and Chicago, is moving closer to allowing the testing of self-driving vehicles. Testing is likely to begin within 12 months, and possibly before the end of the year, the Ohio Turnpike's executive director, Randy Cole, told the Associated Press. Officials overseeing the roadway have spent more than a year looking at the possibilities, he said. Ohio is among several states competing to play a role in the testing and research of auton
    Read More

Highlighted Content