Washington, D.C.—In response to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finalizing its rulemaking on adjusting federal motor vehicle safety standards to account for new autonomous vehicle (AV) designs, SAFE President and CEO Robbie Diamond made the following statement:
“This rulemaking optimizes self-driving safety, provides clarity for industry and is ultimately a very strong step toward accelerating the deployment of safer, automated and electrified vehicles on our nation’s roads. We urge the Biden administration to keep this momentum going and move at the speed of innovation—not only for safer roads and more efficient transportation, but also to maintain American AV leadership.”
In its recent Commanding Heights Of Global Transportation report, SAFE notes China’s heavy investment in its own AV development as Beijing seeks leadership positions in a variety of emerging industries. To compete with Chinese companies, the United States must:
- Expand allowances for deploying novel design AVs on public roads from 2,500 to 100,000 per manufacturer as long as they are as safe as current vehicles.
- Create a clear pathway for regulatory reform and certainty at the federal level, as developers currently must contend with a patchwork of regulations at the state level, while China can make rules by fiat.
“This NHTSA rulemaking is a strong step forward, but much more can be done to expedite U.S. AV development—from increasing allowances to deploy AVs on public roads to 100,000 per manufacturer to providing regulatory clarity at the federal level. We look forward to working with the incoming Secretary Buttigieg and the Biden administration on AV deployment,” Diamond concluded.
Contact: Alex Adams | 202.461.2374 | aadams@secureenergy.org
