• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: A Sports Car from a Company You've Never Heard Of
  • Analysts Predict Declining Tesla Sales in Q3
  • Overlanding is the New Hotness
  • New Vehicle Sales Increase in September
  • Are EVs Affordable? Only if You’re a Luxury Buyer
  • Honda Takes Wraps Off New All-Electric Prologue
  • Mercedes to Offer True Self-Driving in Late 2023
  • Biden Meets UAW Picketers, Offers Support
  • Ford Halts $3.5B MI Battery Plant; Fain Slams Company
  • An Electric Acura NSX Could Be Coming
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2024 Buick Encore GX Sport Touring AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB 250+
    • A Week With: 2024 Mazda CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus
    • A Week With: 2024 Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV
    • A Week With: The 2024 BMW i7 xDrive60
    • A Week With: 2024 Alfa Romeo Tonale Veloce AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Toyota Camry XSE Hybrid
    • A Week With: 2024 Subaru Impreza RS
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Desert Boss
    • First Drive: 2024 Polestar 2
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > Trump Administration Releases New Guidance on Autonomous Testing

        Trump Administration Releases New Guidance on Autonomous Testing

        Guidelines to be used until legislation passes Senate.

        Joseph Szczesny
        Joseph Szczesny , Executive Editor
        Sept. 13, 2017
        Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said the new "guidance" for autonomous vehicle testing will help improve safety on U.S. roadways.

        The Trump administration released its guidelines for testing and developing self-driving cars on U.S. highways and they were met with almost universal approval from automakers, industry observers and safety organizations.

        Though federal legislation on the matter awaits approval by the U.S. Senate, the federal Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s updated “guidance,” as described by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, gives automakers and suppliers the green light to continue the development of automated system.

        News Now!

        Chao said the updated parameters, dubbed “Automated Driving Systems – Vision 2.0,” build on the previous policy released by the Obama administration and incorporates feedback received through public comments and Congressional hearings.

        “Automakers have been developing self-driving technologies for years, recognizing the tremendous potential for enhanced safety for us all and the greater self-sufficiency for certain populations,” according to a statement from the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.

        (House passes bill easing autonomous vehicle testing restrictions. For the story, Click Here.)

        “This federal guidance is helpful in advancing road safety and safe testing, while also providing more clarity on the role of states. The guidance provides the right balance, allowing emerging innovations to thrive while government still keeps a watchful eye over new developments.”

        GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra shows off one of the 130 new self-driving Bolt EVs.

        Though it may dovetail the previous administration’s efforts, it doesn’t necessary stick to them. There is a key area of difference. The new guidance alters an Obama-era policy that required automakers to submit an assessment showing their self-driving cars met certain safety criteria before they could place those vehicles on public roads.

        Instead, the new DOT proposal suggests automakers “may” submit a voluntary safety self-assessment. This move allows companies to move along more rapidly in the development of this technology. Automakers already submit information to the government for other aspects of automotive development.

        For example, they provide information from self-assessments on whether they meet current fuel economy standards, but face penalties if the figures are inaccurate or acquired by cheating as in the case of Volkswagen’s diesel-powered vehicles.

        Chao said if self-driving cars fail to stand up to safety standards NHTSA will have the authority to order a recall. At least one group said it would be taking notes on just that provision.

        “Today, with voluntary guidelines we look to the manufacturers who are driving automated technology forward to show leadership and accountability,” said Deborah Hersman, CEO of the National Safety Council, in a statement, adding, “(W)e will watch closely NHTSA’s commitment to utilize its recall authority to take vehicles off the road if there is any indication of a defect that places the public in harm’s way.”

        (Click Here to see how CARB and the EPA were ready to face off in an emissions showdown.)

        Automakers and tech companies celebrated the newly updated autonomous vehicle testing guidance.

        A Vision for Safety: 2.0 calls for industry, state and local governments, safety and mobility advocates and the public to lay the path for the deployment of automated vehicles and technologies, Chao said.

        “In addition to safety, ADS technology offers important social benefits by improving access to transportation, independence and quality of life for those who cannot drive because of illness, advanced age or disability,” continued Secretary Chao.

        Huei Peng, director of Mcity autonomous-vehicle test center run by the University of Michigan and the Roger L. McCarthy Professor of Mechanical Engineering at U-M, and Jim Sayer, director of the U-M Transportation Research Institute, agree the new policy is a positive step.

        The trio notes that traffic deaths and injuries have been rising in recent years, and the adoption of automated vehicles and technologies will help save lives, cut fuel use and emissions, and bring mobility to those who cannot easily access transportation today. They added the new guidelines keep the United States at the front of autonomous vehicle development.

        The new policy, however, does not roll back state regulations, which is something carmakers want as automated vehicle-technology continues to develop. The state of California, for one, is setting its own rules through the state Department of Motor Vehicles and is unlikely to yield to the Trump administration’s laissez-faire approach to regulating autonomous vehicles without a fight.

        California’s role is critical because much of the research on automated vehicles is being carried out in the state. In addition, the Teamsters Union is pushing Congress to regulate self-driving trucks more tightly.

        “This is what autonomous vehicle developers have been asking for,” said Rebecca Lindland, executive analyst at AutoTrader and Kelley Blue Book.

        (To see more about environmental groups suing over easing of CAFE penalties, Click Here.)

        “The DOT is clearly focused on safety, but at the same time, NHSTA’s guidelines should provide the flexibility developers want. Importantly, this set of regulations should help prevent a patchwork of state and federal standards, the type of competing regulations that can quickly strangle innovation.”

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        The Rearview Mirror: A Sports Car from a Company You’ve Never Heard Of

        Yesterday

        Analysts Predict Declining Tesla Sales in Q3

        Sept. 29, 2023

        Overlanding is the New Hotness

        Sept. 29, 2023

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: