Why self-driving cars need federal regulations by Mary Barra

[Jeff@DaumPhotography]

The following short news release by Mary Barra provides some insight into GM's autonomous vehicle approach.:

October 5, 2018 Axios AM
Mary Barra
EXPERT VOICES

Why self-driving cars need federal regulations

Zero crashes, zero emissions and zero congestion — this is General Motors’ vision. These potential benefits of self-driving technology can only be fully realized when self-driving cars are deployed in large numbers, and when riders feel comfortable and secure.
What's needed: Federal legislation would provide a path for manufacturers to put self-driving vehicles on the roads safely, while allowing continued innovation. Current federal law prohibits deployment of self-driving vehicles without steering wheels and other conventional driver controls. And other regulations for self-driving cars vary from state to state.

Why it matters: Every year, crashes claim the lives of approximately 1.2 million people around the world — about 40,000 of them in the U.S. And 94% of traffic crashes in the U.S. are caused by human error. Because self-driving vehicles do not operate impaired, tired or distracted, they offer a compelling solution. And when self-driving vehicles are electric, they will help to accelerate the transition to sustainable energy.

What to watch: The SELF DRIVE Act, passed by the House of Representatives, and the AV START Act, pending in the Senate, would direct the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue new and revised safety regulations on an expedited basis. The bills would allow safe self-driving deployment during the period between enactment and NHTSA’s issuance of new regulations, but only by manufacturers that prove their self-driving cars are as safe as human drivers.

The bottom line: Transitioning to a self-driving society will take time, and will require cooperation and collaboration by the private and public sectors. Federal legislation is essential to enabling the journey.

Mary Barra is the chairman and CEO of General Motors.

For additional thoughts on Autonomous vehicles please see: https://insight.daumphotography.com/...2/29/ces-2017/ and https://insight.daumphotography.com/...hicles-part-2/. I will be adding 'part 3' following CES 2018 presentations.

[John]

Thank you Jeff for finding and posting this very interesting article. Here’s another one I just discovered.

NHTSA moves forward with new rules to accelerate autonomous tech
October 4, 2018, 4:46 pmby Justin King Federal regulators plan to make laws more flexible, paving the way for vehicles that do not have a steering wheel or other human controls.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is moving forward with its plan to reform federal automotive safety regulations to better mesh with autonomous technology.

Referred to as Automated Vehicles 3.0, the latest guidance helps clarify that the definitions of \'driver\' and \'operator\' will be modified to encompass both humans and automated systems.

The agency aims to provide broad flexibility while autonomous technology is still under development, giving automakers more leeway to pursue voluntary \'non-regulatory\' safety standards through organizations or associations.

Many of the specific provisions may seem mundane, but the implications for the industry could be significant. For example, freight carriers will be able to deploy autonomous trucking technology that would previously have been barred due to the human-centric definition of an operator or driver. The guidance also moves closer to allowing autonomous cars that do not integrate a steering wheel, pedals or other human controls.

The NHTSA is currently working to streamline and modernize the procedures it relies on to process and decide exemption requests, aiming to clear away some of the traditional red tape that stands in the way of unique new technologies that do not comply with existing safety laws.

The federal government is still seeking comment from automakers and other stakeholders as it pushes forward with its plan, expecting advanced partially autonomous vehicles to become more popular in the coming years and fully self-driving vehicles to arrive around 2025.

https://www.leftlanenews.com/nhtsa-m...es-101531.html

[Shadow]

It is a darn good thing someone is going to regulate self-driving cars.

[George]

The lawyers are swarming...

[Ssscooter66]

Is it just me thats reading news release & something seems wrong ? " as same as human"

[Jeff@DaumPhotography]

Good catch Ssscooter66. I believe the intent was that the challenge is to come up with algorithms that are sophisticated enough to be able anticipate drivers of cars that are not automated. Clearly not to replicate the high fatality rate caused by human error.