Last Wednesday, a voice vote took place amongst a panel of U.S. House members resulting in the approval of a proposal which will allow automakers to deploy up to 100,000 self-driving vehicles. According to details of the proposal, automakers will not be required to meet existing auto safety standards. The bill would also prohibit states from regulating the mechanical, software and safety systems of autonomous cars.
The legislation had bipartisan support from both Republican and Democratic leaders after Republicans accepted Democratic proposals for provisions to strengthen safety oversight of self-driving vehicles by federal means.
“Today’s markup represents the most significant step this subcommittee has taken to date to ultimately enact comprehensive legislation on self-driving technologies and services,” said Bob Latta, the Ohio Republican who chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee‘s Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection panel. “Our work is not done and we will continue to perfect language as we prepare to move quickly to full-committee markup.”
Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the committee, added, “While we have not reached a complete bipartisan agreement, the draft before us reflects true bipartisan negotiations.”
However, the bill is not yet set in stone.
Bob Latta said that he will continue to consider changes to the legislation before the full committee is scheduled to vote on the matter. In any case, Latta stated, “This legislation puts important benchmarks into place that will prioritize consumer safety technologies and enhance mobility opportunities for people across the country.”
The House Energy and Commerce Committee may vote on the bill as early as next week, but the full U.S. House of Representatives isn’t scheduled to take up the bill until September, once the summer recess has ended.
If the bill passes, it will be the U.S. government’s first major step toward establishing any kind of legislation in regards to autonomous vehicle deployment.
According to the legislation draft, the bill includes a proposal made by the Democrats that would allow a directive for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to develop a regulatory plan for autonomous vehicles within 18 months. The NHTSA would also have to establish a new process for granting exemptions for autonomous vehicles and make a list of those exemptions public. Furthermore, the bill would require carmakers and technology firms to have a cybersecurity plan in place before they deploy any automated vehicle into the market.
According to lawmakers, the main purpose of this legislation is to speed up the process of putting self-driving cars on the market. The issue has become an urgent matter, as U.S. road deaths increased by 7.7 percent from 2015 to 2016, which is the highest jump since 1966.