Advocates Demand AV Regulations – Streetsblog USA

Autonomous vehicles and technology may be the wave of the future, but they, like drivers, pose a serious threat to pedestrians and other road users, driving advocates said this week during a Senate hearing on road safety where they called for more regulations.

Federal investigations into autonomous vehicles after accidents and fires do not make a good argument for the other side.

“AV technology is not yet ready for launch,” said Cathy Chase, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, whose organization wrote a letter pushing for more robust automotive and technology regulations and a slowdown in the rollout of autonomous vehicles to the public. before they become safe for everyone on the roads.

This skepticism is also shared by the general public, according to a recent survey by AAA, which found that approximately 66 percent of respondents are afraid of autonomous vehicles.

When it comes to overall road safety, even Congress has recognized the seriousness of the situation.

“The safety situation on our roadways is a national crisis,” said Sen. Gary Peters (R-Mich.), chairman of the Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime Transportation, Freight and Ports, in his remarks at Tuesday’s hearing: “Roadway Study Safety Crisis and emphasizing community solutions.”

According to the National Road Safety and Traffic Administration, almost 41,000 people died in accidents in 2023. The number may have dropped slightly, but cyclist and pedestrian deaths have seen a significant increase.

Now enter autonomous vehicles. Some participants in the Senate hearing praised AV innovation and progress. However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced an investigation into Waymo after the company submitted an incident report detailing at least 22 crashes involving automated vehicles.

This followed other investigations into companies such as Amazon Zoox, Ford and Tesla, after accidents involving the vehicle’s misleadingly named “Autopilot” feature resulted in recalls. This has led some supporters to argue that “driverless cars” pose more challenges than solutions.

Lawmakers like Peters have also embraced DOT’s safe system approach to keep all road users safe through holistic changes rather than waiting for a silver bullet antivirus. This paradigm requires looking at everything – safer vehicles, safer roads, safer speeds, etc. – and recognizing that people are vulnerable on and off the road.

But as the AV revolution appears likely to continue, proponents say there are lo-fi, real-world strategies to improve safety if automakers agree.

“The auto industry and the tech industry don’t like regulation,” Chase said. “They like to be given card blanche launch any products on the market. “Historically, we have achieved higher levels of safety through regulation.”

Advocates have outlined some simple rules for autonomous vehicles that they believe can help keep TVs safe for all road users, including more general regulation of the technology and car companies that supply these vehicles, ongoing data collection from NHTSA, and independent review boards to provide oversight of AV testing in public places.

In the meantime, Chase advises you to keep your hands off the wheel, even with all the new automatic assistance tools available.

“These technologies,” Chase said, “are not ready yet.”