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US House Panel Approves Broad Proposal On Self-Driving Cars (reuters.com)

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Reuters: A U.S. House panel on Wednesday approved a sweeping proposal by voice vote to allow automakers to deploy up to 100,000 self-driving vehicles without meeting existing auto safety standards and bar states from imposing driverless car rules. Representative Robert Latta, a Republican who heads the Energy and Commerce Committee subcommittee overseeing consumer protection, said he would continue to consider changes before the full committee votes on the measure, expected next week. The full U.S. House of Representatives will not take up the bill until it reconvenes in September after the summer recess. The measure, which would be the first significant federal legislation aimed at speeding self-driving cars to market, would require automakers to submit safety assessment reports to U.S. regulators, but would not require pre-market approval of advanced vehicle technologies. Automakers would have to show self-driving cars "function as intended and contain fail safe features" to get exemptions from safety standards but the Transportation Department could not "condition deployment or testing of highly automated vehicles on review of safety assessment certifications," the draft measure unveiled late Monday said.

2 of 191 comments (clear)

  1. Beware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

    If a"Self Driving" car injures one of my family, I will murder the people in it, and then burn down the fucking dealership.

  2. Re:So much for states' rights by Rick+Schumann · · Score: 1, Troll

    If an animal kills a human being, that animal is put to death.
    If so-called 'self driving cars' kill even one human being due to a flaw, then the technology should not be allowed on public roads.
    Furthermore, just as with regards to aircraft mechanics: The engineers responsible for the faulty code and/or inadequate safety testing should be held criminally responsible for any human deaths.