WASHINGTON
(Reuters) - The U.S. National Highway Traffic-Safety Administration said Friday
it is looking for input on how it can remove regulatory roadblocks to
self-
driving cars.
The auto
safety agency said in a report that it wants to find any “unnecessary
regulatory barriers” to self-driving cars “particularly those that are not
equipped with controls for a human driver.”
The agency
also wants comments on what research it needs to conduct before deciding
whether to eliminate or rewrite regulations. But it could take the agency years
to complete the research and finalize rule changes, and advocates are pushing
Congress to act.
NHTSA said
in a statement it plans to issue a formal notice in the “near future requesting
comment” on the hurdles. The agency hopes to make the notice public by the end
of November.
Automakers
must meet nearly 75 auto safety standards, many of which were written with the
assumption that a licensed driver will be in control of the vehicle. The agency
said last year that current regulations pose “significant” regulatory hurdles
to vehicles without human controls.
In early
October, a U.S. Senate committee unanimously gave the green light to a bill
aimed at speeding the use of self-driving cars without human controls and would
allow the agency to waive requirements.
General
Motors Co (GM.N), Alphabet Inc (GOOGL.O), Ford Motor Co (F.N) and others have
lobbied for the landmark legislation, while auto safety groups urged more
safeguards and have pledged to keep fighting for changes.
The Senate
Commerce Committee approved the bill, and the U.S. House passed a similar measure
last month. Automakers would be able to win exemptions from NHTSA for safety
rules for up to 80,000 vehicles annually within three years.
Under the
Senate measure, NHTSA would have to write permanent rules on self-driving cars
within a decade.
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