US governors urge responsible regulation for public buy-in of AVs

While connected vehicles offer the promise of improving many people’s lives, industry and public authorities must overcome their fears about safety and being left behind, said two US state governors. “There’s a lot of fear that they may be losing control,” said Colorado governor John Hickenlooper (right) during a panel discussion with Michigan governor Rick Snyder (centre) at ITS America 2018 in Detroit. “We have to make sure that each step we take we show people that their world will be safer,” said Hicke
June 7, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Colorado governor John Hickenlooper (right) and Michigan governor Rick Snyder (centre)
While connected vehicles offer the promise of improving many people’s lives, industry and public authorities must overcome their fears about safety and being left behind, said two US state governors.


“There’s a lot of fear that they may be losing control,” said Colorado governor John Hickenlooper (right) during a panel discussion with Michigan governor Rick Snyder (centre) at 560 ITS America 2018 in Detroit. “We have to make sure that each step we take we show people that their world will be safer,” said Hickenlooper.

There are also fears that many people will lose their jobs thanks to the increasing use of connected vehicles, said Snyder. Many people, in the logistics sector and people transport sector - such as taxis and Uber - wonder if they will be redundant. “We need to be thoughtful about not waiting for this crisis to happen…we shouldn’t leave them behind,” said Snyder. Hickenlooper said both he and Snyder are “passionate” about ensuring the education system, from high school upwards, caters for future jobs such as servicing autonomous vehicles. They might have to have a lot of knowledge about lidar, for example. The public must also see that their governments are ensuring manufacturers of connected vehicle technology are adhering to regulations. On the other hand, the regulations shouldn’t stifle innovation by manufacturers.

“Of course the industry doesn’t want to see anybody hurt,” said Snyder. “It’s a balancing act trying to put in place responsible regulation.”

Hickenlooper agreed that it will have to be a partnership between the public authorities, the public and the manufacturers.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Copenhagen: everything's gone green
    October 3, 2018
    As the ITS World Congress arrives in Copenhagen, Adam Hill finds out how Dynniq has been helping traffic flow – and CO2 reduction - in the Danish capital. Most of the time, ‘breathing easier’ is just an expression which indicates a metaphorical sigh of relief that something has worked out alright. But it can be literally true, too. Respiratory and other potential health problems which stem from pollution in the world’s increasingly urbanised environments have been well publicised and governments are
    Read More
  • World Economic Forum: AVs face two big challenges
    July 3, 2019
    Autonomous vehicles (AVs) will not be widely adopted unless tech issues and business cases are sorted out, says an expert at the World Economic Forum (WEF). In an interview with CNBC, Michelle Avary, head of autonomous mobility at the organisation, said: “Really making sure that the technology is working in the areas of perception, which is vision — being able to identify objects and then understand how to move around them. That has yet to be solved.” Speaking at the WEF’s Annual Meeting of the New Ch
    Read More
  • Is GIS modelling the answer to the implications of age?
    January 26, 2012
    Geoff Zeiss of Autodesk talks about the convergence going on between GIS and other software systems which will revolutionise the design and construction of nations' utilities. The issue is that we're getting old. But forget the discovery of body hair in places it never used to be, whether or not to dye, contact lenses versus glasses - in fact, put aside entirely the decision to age gracefully or outrageously; the personal implications pale next to the effects on wider society. Faced with the problem of how
    Read More
  • Dundee trial offers insight into delivering MaaS in smaller urban and rural areas
    March 27, 2018
    A MaaS trial in Scotland will evaluate the attraction of such services for young people living in small cities and rural areas. Colin Sowman reports. It is often said that Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is fine in big cities - but what about smaller towns and rural areas? Well, the city of Dundee in Scotland has only around 150,000 people but is set to provide some answers with its trial of NaviGoGo, a MaaS operation aimed at 16-25 year olds – be they students, working or unemployed. By population, Dundee
    Read More

Highlighted Content