"We
cannot trust the Chinese Communist Party to set the standards
for this industry and we certainly cannot trust them to protect
our data and individual rights."
Republicans and some Democrats want fast action, raising
concerns that China could surpass the United States in deploying
cars without human drivers. Safety groups, plaintiffs' lawyers
and labor unions are raising concerns about the legislation.
Representative Frank Pallone, the top Democrat on the Energy and
Commerce Committee, said at the hearing we "cannot simply dust
off six-year-old legislation and ignore the substantial issues
that have emerged in recent years.... Liability loopholes are
emerging. Workforce impacts are becoming more apparent."
Autonomous vehicle legislation in Congress has been stalled for
more than six years. Proposals would allow automakers to obtain
exemptions to deploy tens of thousands of vehicles without
meeting existing auto safety standards.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said on July
12 it will soon decide on a petition filed by General Motors'
Cruise self-driving technology unit seeking permission to deploy
up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human
controls, the maximum permitted under current law.
Advocates say autonomous vehicles (AVs) have the potential to
reduce traffic deaths, expand mobility access to the disabled,
reduce parking needs in congested cities and cut greenhouse gas
emissions.
Transport Workers Union President John Samuelsen said workers
are deeply concerned "major AV developers have an unambiguous
plan to rush driverless vehicles onto our roads and into our
public transit systems without safety standards or adequate
failsafes."
Alliance for Automotive Innovation CEO John Bozzella, a trade
group representing major automakers, told the panel that without
action from Congress, "our nation risks becoming dependent on
foreign sources in a future defined by others."
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Bernadette Baum)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2022 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
![](column_spacer.png)
|
|