Autonomous Vehicles

Advocates’ Statement on Waymo’s 10 Million Miles Driven

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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) has a long history of championing proven safety technology, from airbags in the 1990s to advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) today.  We commend Waymo for reaching 10 million miles of testing on public roads.  However, this pales in comparison to the more than three trillion miles traveled by human drivers on U.S. roads each year.  Many more miles and milestones must be reached before driverless cars are sold to the public, which is precisely what a bill under consideration in the U.S. Senate will allow, AV START Act (S. 1885).

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Advocates’ Statement on U.S. DOT 3.0 AV Guidelines

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Today the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) released weak, voluntary guidelines allowing manufacturers of autonomous vehicles (AVs) to use our Nation’s roads and highways as proving grounds for unproven technology.  Instead of being called “3.0” guidelines, they should be considered “-1.0” guidelines because they throw our Nation’s AV policy in reverse.  AV manufacturers will continue to introduce extremely complex, supercomputers-on-wheels into the driving environment with meager government oversight and accountability.

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Advocates’ Statement on Emerging Technologies to the Senate Commerce Committee

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AVs should not be prematurely deployed and sold before they can be safely operated on public roads and without commonsense government oversight in place.  Serious and fatal crashes involving AVs which have already occurred reveal significant flaws in this still developing technology.  In sum, the path to the safe and effective introduction of AVs requires government oversight, transparency and a comprehensive regulatory framework in all aspects from vehicle standards to infrastructure design.  

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Advocates’ Statement on Labor Day Weekend Travel

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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) urges drivers hitting the road for one last summer road trip over Labor Day weekend to ensure that it is a safe one.  Use common sense if you are driving: obey the speed limit, make sure everyone is properly buckled up, turn off and put away distracting devices, don’t drink and drive, and wear a helmet if you’re on a motorcycle.  More people are predicted to be taking to the road this weekend, which means a greater risk of deadly crashes.  Now is the time for elected officials, who are preparing for the upcoming legislative sessions, to commit to advancing available, proven solutions and enact lifesaving laws that prevent crashes, deaths and injuries.

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