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

  • September 14, 2017
    US DOT releases new automated driving systems guidance
    The US Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) have released new federal guidance for Automated Driving Systems (ADS): A Vision for Safety 2.0. The new Voluntary Guidance focuses on levels 3, 4 and 5 automated driving systems (ADS).
    Read More
  • November 11, 2015
    Euro NCAP puts autonomous pedestrian detection to the test
    European safety organisation Euro NCAP is introducing a new test that will check how well vehicles autonomously detect and prevent collisions with pedestrians, which it says will make it simpler for consumers and manufacturers to find out which systems work best. According to Euro NCAP, independent analysis of real world crash data in the UK and Germany indicates that the deployment of effective autonomous emergency braking systems on passenger cars could prevent one in five fatal pedestrian collisions.
    Read More
  • August 25, 2017
    UK to trial truck platooning by the end of 2018
    The first truck platooning trials on UK roads are planned to take place by the end of 2018, Transport Minister Paul Maynard has said. Announcing the US$10 million (£8.1million) government funding for trials today, Maynard said advances such as lorry platooning could benefit businesses through cheaper fuel bills and other road users thanks to lower emissions and less congestion. The platooning trials will see up to three heavy goods vehicles, travelling in convoy, with acceleration and braking controlled by
    Read More
  • February 3, 2012
    Driver training saves lives, increases profits, reduces costs
    An innovative UK Government initiative on work-related driver training has resulted in astonishing success, not only in terms of government objectives, but also in substantial cost-benefits for companies and public sector authorities participating in the scheme: they save lives and increase profits/reduce costs Here, we present an overview of the initiative and, overleaf, provide a detailed cost-benefit analysis which amply illustrates why it has been enthusiastically embraced by industry and the public sec
    Read More

Highlighted Content