Melissa Quinn of the Washington Examiner details the latest developments in the push for self-driving vehicles.
For auto manufacturers, technology experts, and lawmakers, 2018 is shaping up to be the year that paves the way for deployment of self-driving vehicles.
Last year, the House overwhelmingly passed a bill that provides the federal government with a framework for developing new rules for driverless cars, marking the first step to allowing more self-driving vehicles on public roads.
The Senate Commerce Committee followed suit with its own bill. Now, experts are confident the full Senate will act on the legislation to address self-driving vehicles, eventually sending a bill to President Trump’s desk.
“In 2018, Congress is going to pass legislation, and the president will sign it,” Marc Scribner, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, predicted. “The SELF DRIVE Act proved uncontroversial in the House, and that is more or less what I expect the Senate will do.” …
… The AV START Act passed the Senate Commerce Committee in October, and self-driving vehicle legislation is a top priority for the committee this year.
Both bills give the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration the authority to regulate the design, construction, and performance of self-driving cars.
State and local governments, meanwhile, will regulate registration, licensing, insurance, and safety and emissions inspections.
