[Quietcars] Article: Why Our Government Leaders Must Take the Wheel on Self-Driving Vehicles in 2019, NextGov, Feb 13 2019

[Marianne Haas]

Good Morning,
I am very leary of electric cars and self driving cars.  Electric cars do
not make very much sound.  I almost got hit as I could not hear it.  Self
driving cars sound good on the surface.  However, the more complicated a
system is the more likely it is to malfunction.  I bet you that the
insurance companies will not underwrite this if there aare a bunch of
horrific accidents.  I would like to live and support public transportation.

Marianne

-----Original Message-----
From: Quietcars [mailto:quietcars-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Nightingale, Noel via Quietcars
Sent: Thursday, February 14, 2019 9:13 AM
To: quietcars at nfbnet.org
Cc: Nightingale, Noel <Noel.Nightingale at ed.gov>; Mark Riccobono
(officeofthepresident at nfb.org) <officeofthepresident at nfb.org>
Subject: [Quietcars] Article: Why Our Government Leaders Must Take the Wheel
on Self-Driving Vehicles in 2019, NextGov, Feb 13 2019


https://www.nextgov.com/ideas/2019/02/why-our-government-leaders-must-take-w
heel-self-driving-vehicles-2019and-how-they-can-do-it/154740/

Why Our Government Leaders Must Take the Wheel on Self-Driving Vehicles in
2019-and How They Can Do it NextGov February 13, 2019 By Gary Shapiro

At CES(r) 2019, more than 170 vehicle technology exhibitors showcased the
latest in self-driving technology-from Bosch's all-electric, self-driving
pod to Qualcomm's 5G-enabled, self-driving chipset. These innovators
underscored how self-driving technology will save lives, boost our economy
and open a world of possibilities for passengers.

But for these benefits to be realized, we need a consistent national policy
framework for self-driving technology.

More than 37,000 people died on U.S. roads in 2017-that's more than 100
traffic deaths per day-and 94 percent of serious crashes are due to human
error, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Self-driving vehicles, or SDVs, can reverse these numbers.

SDVs will enable older adults, people with disabilities and people who are
housebound to work, travel and visit loved ones with greater ease. And for
those of us who do drive, SDVs will free up time spent behind the wheel and
make getting around more productive and enjoyable. A report from the
Ruderman Family Foundation estimates SDVs will result in a total savings of
$1.3 trillion, due to productivity gains, fuel costs and fewer accidents.

Toward the end of 2018, Congress stood at the threshold of passing critical
self-driving bills-the AV START Act and the SELF DRIVE Act-but failed to do
so before the end of the legislative session. As Congress considers whether
to act this session on self-driving policy, the Transportation Department
has an equally important role to play, as do state governments across the
country. If we want to lead the world on self-driving technology, here's
what must happen:

Think big. While the national conversation about SDVs has focused largely on
passenger vehicles, this technology also has enormous implications for
commercial vehicles. Self-driving commercial vehicles could dramatically
increase the safety and efficiency of commercial goods transportation across
our nation. These vehicles could also help bridge the current and projected
shortage of commercial truck drivers across Transportation's inclusion of
commercial vehicles and trucks in AV 3.0 was an important first step. And,
as the policy debate continues, Congress and individual states should resist
blocking this technology in a misguided attempt to prevent job loss.

Think fast. Transportation has already taken a huge step in recognizing that
many of its safety rules simply don't apply when there's not a human driver
at the wheel. As it continues to update its approach, it must streamline its
waiver, exemption and pilot program processes. The pace of technology
innovation accelerates every day and the race to implement self-driving
technology only grows more intense. Simplifying these critical processes
will not only help us deploy this technology faster, it will also help us
save money-and, more importantly, save lives.

Think broad. One of the biggest factors hindering the emergence of
self-driving technology is regulatory overlap-when different agencies and
different levels of government impose conflicting rules on the same
technology. For example, SDVs will include digital technology that uses
personal data-information traditionally protected by the Federal Trade
Commission, not NHTSA. To avoid a patchwork effect, we need clear
communication between state and federal leaders, between different federal
agencies and between the public and private sectors.

Last century, cars were slowly but surely spreading across America, thanks
to a government-industry partnership that built roads, bridges and highways,
dramatically transforming our landscape and our economy.

Now, we need a similar partnership - one that will propel us into the future
and drive us to new heights of safety, connectivity and prosperity for
decades to come.
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