U.S. Senate panel approves self-driving car legislation
U.S. Senate panel approves self-driving car legislation
By David Shepardson October 4, 2017
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee
on Wednesday unanimously approved a bill to speed self-driving cars to market
without human controls and bar states from imposing regulatory road blocks.
The bill still must be approved by the full Senate. The
U.S. House passed a similar version last month unanimously. General Motors Co,
Alphabet Inc, Ford Motor Co and others have lobbied for the landmark
legislation. Despite some complaints from Republicans, the Senate bill does not
speed approval of self-driving technology for large commercial trucks after
labor unions raised safety and employment concerns.
The measure, the first significant federal legislation
aimed at speeding self-driving cars to market, would allow automakers to win
exemptions from current safety rules that prohibit vehicles without human
controls.
States could still set rules on registration, licensing,
liability, insurance and safety inspections, but not performance standards.
Senator Richard Blumenthal sought to amend the bill to
require companies to include human controls in the event of an emergency, but
in the face of opposition dropped the proposal. Some senators argued it would
be more dangerous to allow human drivers to seek to take over driverless cars.
Several Republican senators noted the strong support of
trucking organizations to include vehicles over 10,000 pounds, but Democrats
made it clear that they would not support the bill if it included bigger
vehicles.
Auto safety advocates complained that the bill lacked
sufficient safeguards. It would within three years allow automakers to sell up
to 80,000 self-driving vehicles annually if they could demonstrate they are as
safe as current vehicles.
The bill's phase-in schedule was revised to allow 15,000
per manufacturer and up to 80,000 after three years, down from 100,000 proposed
earlier. It would lift the cap completely after four years.
The bill grants NHTSA authority to exempt vehicles from
existing federal safety requirements and the agency would have to make a
determination within six months of getting a request.
The Commerce Committee adopted a House approved provision
that would require automakers to eventually include a rear seat alert system
designed to warn parents not to forget young children in car seats.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David
Gregorio)
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