By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. lawmakers will look to jump start long-stalled legislation on the safe and regulated adoption of self-driving cars at a congressional hearing on July 26.
The panel will consider separate draft legislation from Representative Bob Latta, a Republican, and Representative Debbie Dingell, a Democrat.
Legislation in Congress has been stalled for more than five years over how to amend regulations to encompass self-driving cars, including the scope of consumer and legal protections.
Advocates say autonomous vehicles (AVs) have the potential to reduce traffic deaths, expand mobility access to the disabled, reduce the need for parking in congested cities and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
The hearing will be convened by the House of Representatives Energy Commerce subcommittee on Innovation, Data, and Commerce titled “Self-Driving Vehicle Legislative Framework: Enhancing Safety, Improving Lives and Mobility, and Beating China.” The hearing was first reported by Reuters.
Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen praised Dingell’s proposal that “prioritizes pro-worker technologies, holds AV companies accountable for proving their products are truly safe, and makes it clear that commercial AVs will need to live up to the high standards working people have created for safety.”
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers and subcommittee chair Gus Bilirakis said in a joint statement that “inaction over the past two Congresses has put America at risk of ceding leadership in this industry to China. In order to ensure Americans can reap the benefits of self-driving vehicles, we must enact a comprehensive national law that establishes a pathway to safe deployment.”
The witnesses are expected to include Alliance For Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella, Consumer Technology Association CEO Gary Shapiro and National Federation of the Blind President Mark Riccobono.
Many lawmakers and the industry have urged Congress to act and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to develop a comprehensive federal framework for autonomous vehicles.
But others say more safety protections are needed. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety President Cathy Chase said “Congress must take action to make our roads safer, not open them up to unproven and unregulated vehicles.”
Last week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it would soon decide on a petition filed by General Motors’ Cruise self-driving technology unit seeking permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Alex Richardson and Grant McCool)
