Overview

Legislation recently passed by the House of Representatives-H.R. 3388-and pending in the Senate-S. 1885-would provide new regulatory tools to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to oversee autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicles are seen as a way to reduce motor vehicle crashes; for example, there were 37,461 deaths from motor vehicle crashes in 2016 and nearly all of them were caused by driver error. However, despite unanimous approval in House and Senate committees and on the House floor, the legislation has proven controversial in the wake of several high-profile accidents involving autonomous vehicles being tested on public roads. At present, no fully autonomous vehicles are available for public use. Many new vehicles have automated some driver functions, but all require a human to monitor the driving environment and control the vehicle. However, rapid advances in technology have made it likely that vehicles with high levels of automation will be on the market within a few years, raising questions about the adequacy of existing methods of safety oversight. The federal government and the states share motor vehicle regulation, with the federal government responsible for vehicle safety and states for driver-related aspects such as licensing and registration. While NHTSA has the statutory authority to regulate all types of motor vehicles, its traditional standard-setting process would take many years at a time when vehicle innovation is changing rapidly; standards envisioned now could be obsolete by the time they took effect. In the absence of NHTSA regulation of autonomous vehicles, nearly half the states have enacted laws on different aspects of autonomous vehicle deployment, resulting in a wide variety of state regulation. On September 6, 2017, the House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.R. 3388. The legislation, which incorporates some provisions recommended in 2016 and 2017 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) reports, would preempt state regulation of some aspects of autonomous vehicle deployment, while providing new regulatory tools to NHTSA. H.R. 3388 would preempt states from regulating the design of autonomous vehicles, unless those laws are identical to federal law; expand NHTSA's authority to grant exemptions from its standards to encourage innovation; require each manufacturer to submit a safety assessment certification showing how it is addressing autonomous vehicle safety; mandate within one year of enactment a NHTSA report indicating what federal safety standards must be updated and listing its vehicle safety priorities; and require manufacturers to publicize their cybersecurity and data privacy plans. The legislation would also establish an advisory committee, a new regulation for rear-seat occupant alerts (to reduce infant fatalities), and a review of headlamp standards. On November 8, 2017, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation reported S. 1885, legislation that is similar in many respects to the House-passed legislation. Both bills address state preemption, safety standards, exemption authority, consumer information, cybersecurity, and privacy, but differ in their details.

Full Product Details

9781720648192

Table of Contents

Reviews

Author Information

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available