The House passed a bipartisan driverless car bill on Wednesday, advancing what could become the first set of federal laws for the emerging industry.
The “Self Drive Act” was unanimously approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee in July, before Congress left for August recess, and passed the full House on a voice vote.
“Self-driving cars hold the promise of making America’s roads safer, creating new economic opportunities, and helping seniors and those with disabilities live more independently," Commerce Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) said in a joint statement. “This bipartisan bill paves the way for advanced collision avoidance systems and self-driving cars nationwide, and ensures that America stays a global leader in innovation.”
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Lawmakers and industry advocates say it is necessary to speed up the development of driverless technology in order to improve traffic safety. The bill comes amid an uptick in traffic deaths in the U.S.
"Self-driving cars have the potential in the future to reduce deaths and injuries from car crashes, particularly those that result from driver distraction," Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.), the top Commerce Committee Democrat, said on the House floor ahead of the vote. "This bill allows for testing and deployment of self-driving cars to help the United States reach that potential sooner."
According to one estimate, self-driving cars could reduce traffic fatalities by up to 90 percent.
I know that a whole lot of people are still uncertain about all of this, but I for one can hardly wait.
I was never a big fan of driving in the first place, so it is not something I plan to miss.
Besides I am getting older, and having a car that can take me where I want to go without having to worry about if I can see at night, or whether or not my reflexes are still fast enough to avoid collisions, or if I can even remain conscious for a drive lasting longer than two hours, sounds pretty damn good to me.
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