Former DOT IG has suggestions for federal rules on autonomous vehicles
Feb 02, 2025 - businessinsider.com
The US faces a complex landscape of state laws governing autonomous vehicles (AVs), creating challenges for companies like Waymo and Tesla in their quest to deploy self-driving cars. The lack of a unified federal framework is seen as a barrier to widespread adoption, prompting calls for federal guidance. Former DOT inspector general Eric Soskin suggests that a federal framework could include performance-based standards, cybersecurity and privacy measures, system redundancies, and insurance and liability considerations. These measures aim to balance innovation with safety and address concerns about data sharing and liability.
The Trump administration has shown interest in developing federal regulations for AVs, and the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association has proposed a federal policy framework to accelerate AV deployment. Soskin emphasizes the need for performance-based standards to encourage innovation, while also highlighting the importance of cybersecurity, system redundancies, and a fair liability system to support the growth of autonomous vehicles.
Key takeaways:
The US has a patchwork of state laws for autonomous vehicles, creating challenges for companies like Waymo and Tesla.
The Trump administration showed interest in developing a federal framework for autonomous vehicles to streamline regulations.
Performance-based standards, cybersecurity, system redundancies, and insurance are key areas for potential federal regulation.
The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association proposed a federal policy framework to accelerate the deployment of autonomous vehicle technology.
