By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, July 15 (Reuters)
U.S. President Donald Trump’s nominee is vouching for safety. We understand that modern cars are the driving forces these days, and with how fast technology is changing, innovation and ideas are growing. There has been a concern about safety, especially in relation to autonomous vehicles. Things that seemed like science fiction only a few years ago are now possible with modern cars. With just a swipe on a screen, they can park themselves, stay in their lane, and even drive you across town. Businesses from Detroit to Silicon Valley, and even as far away as China, are placing large bets.
U.S. organisation NHTSA is pushing for safety when it comes to self-driving vehicles
President Donald Trump’s nominee to head the nation’s auto safety regulator will argue on Wednesday that the agency must actively oversee self-driving vehicle technology, a potential sign of a tougher approach than some critics expected. Jonathan Morrison, chief counsel of the NHTSA in the first Trump administration, will testify to the U.S. Senate that autonomous vehicles offer potential benefits but also unique risks.
Morrison said in written testimony seen by Reuters,
“NHTSA cannot sit back and wait for problems to arise with such developing technologies but must demonstrate strong leadership.”
The comments suggested NHTSA will continue to closely scrutinise self-driving vehicles. Some critics of the technology had expressed alarm over NHTSA staff cuts this year under a cost-cutting campaign led by Musk, who was a close adviser to Trump and is CEO of self-driving automaker Tesla TSLA.O. The Musk-Trump alliance prompted some critics to speculate that NHTSA would go easy on self-driving vehicle developers.
NHTSA is investigating risky behaviour caused by the autonomous vehicles from Tesla
NHTSA said last month it was seeking information from Tesla about social media videos of robotaxis and self-driving cars Tesla was testing in Austin, Texas. The videos were alleged to show one of the vehicles using the wrong lane and another speeding. Since October, NHTSA has been investigating 2.4 million Tesla vehicles with full self-driving technology after four reported collisions, including a 2023 fatal crash.
Other companies in the self-driving sector were also subjects of NHTSA investigations, including Alphabet’s GOOGL.O Waymo, which last year faced reports that its robotaxis may have broken traffic laws. Waymo in May recalled 1,200 self-driving vehicles, and the probe remains open. Regulatory scrutiny increased after 2023 when a pedestrian was seriously injured by a GM. NCruise self-driving car.
Businesses are racing ahead, but accidents and near misses are concerning
Morrison’s testimony said,
“The technical and policy challenges surrounding these new technologies must be addressed. Failure to do so will result in products that the public will not accept and the agency will not tolerate.”
The first recorded death of a pedestrian related to self-driving technology was in 2018 in Tempe, Arizona. Having said that, tech and automotive businesses have expressed that they are working to ensure that their vehicles are safer. meaning they are working on alternatives to develop safe systems and operations to avoid injuries and deaths on the road.
What might real-time oversight entail, then? According to the nomination, it might include real-time data feeds that display the performance of autonomous systems. Companies may be compelled to address software vulnerabilities right away, rather than waiting weeks or months, if regulators are able to identify patterns of dangerous behaviour. Millions of Americans continue to drive in the traditional manner, using both hands on the wheel. However, more people are experimenting with self-driving features each year, and more businesses are predicting a time when our cars will drive us.