Federal Auto Safety Regulators made it official, the nation's highways will be safer with more cars driven by machines and not humans.The Obama administration promised strong safety oversight, but sent a clear signal to automakers that the door was wide open for driverless cars.
The director of the National Economic Council, Jeffrey Zients said that they envision as in the future, we will be able to take our hands off the wheel, and our commute will become restful or productive instead of frustrating and exhausting. He considers that automated vehicles will save time, money and lives. The statements were the most aggressive signal yet by federal regulators that they see automated car technology as a win for auto safety. Yet having officially endorsed the fast-evolving technology, regulators must now balance the commercial interests of companies including Tesla, Google and Uber with concerns over public safety, especially in light of recent crashes involving semi-autonomous cars.
The Department of Transportation announced a 15-point safety standard for the design and development of autonomous vehicles; called for states to come up with uniform policies applying to driverless cars; clarified how current regulations can be applied to driverless cars, and opened the door for new regulations on the technology.
