Groups advocating for consumer and vehicle safety on Monday released an outline for autonomous vehicle legislation that prioritizes safety, equity, accessibility and sustainability.
The diverse coalition includes Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, Center for Disability Rights, Transportation for America, Consumer Reports and other stakeholders that are urging federal lawmakers to use the framework as a guide to ensure public safety.
In the outline for AV legislation, the coalition highlights a set of tenets for lawmakers to use as a “GPS,” or a way to “guarantee public safety,” according to the document.
The tenets include:
- Requiring all levels of automated vehicles to be “subject to comprehensive and strong federal standards” that address known and foreseeable safety issues.
- Making sure safety and performance data is made available to key stakeholders.
- Guaranteeing accessibility for all, especially older adults and those with disabilities.
- Preserving consumer and worker rights.
- Ensuring local control by enabling the federal government to regulate the performance of these vehicles but leaving regulation of their operation to the states.
- Directing the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct a comprehensive study on how AVs will impact transportation systems and the environment.
The tenets also direct the Transportation Department to use its authority to issue motor vehicle safety standards for all levels of automated vehicles instead of pursuing a voluntary or hands-off approach.
Other actions by the Transportation Department and NHTSA, according to the tenets, should include issuing a federal safety standard requiring all vehicles to be equipped with technology that captures all necessary data on the performance of AVs on the road as well as requiring manufacturers to provide data on the safety and performance of test vehicles and systems, including safety-critical events such as crashes.
House lawmakers have said they’re set on prioritizing an AV bill early in the 117th Congress after earlier attempts at passing legislation stalled in the Senate.
Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a consortium of consumer, medical, public health and safety groups as well as insurance companies, has long insisted “commonsense safeguards” must be part of any AV legislation considered by Congress.
“Requiring that AVs meet minimum standards and that operations are subject to adequate oversight throughout development and deployment will save lives as well as costs for both the consumer and the manufacturer,” the group said in the outline for AV legislation.
“Moreover, on the path to AVs, proven solutions are currently available that can prevent or mitigate the exorbitant death and injury toll now while laying the foundation for AVs in the future.”
