A group of 12 U.S. Senate Democrats on Wednesday urged Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to develop a comprehensive federal framework for autonomous vehicles, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
“We lag behind in shaping a regulatory framework that will foster this innovation while simultaneously protecting and encouraging all of the important benefits we believe autonomous vehicles are capable of delivering,” wrote the senators, led by Gary Peters, who chairs a Senate Commerce subcommittee on surface transportation. “Autonomous vehicles hold great promise to deliver significant benefits for all Americans – but only if the federal government puts the necessary policies in place to achieve these benefits.”
The letter cited efforts by competitors, particularly China, who “have significantly invested in autonomous and connected vehicle technologies.” It asks Buttigieg to detail what “specific actions” the department is “considering in the near term regarding autonomous vehicles.”
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