Over the past decade, Congress has held more than 20 hearings on autonomous vehicles (AVs), with a third of those hearings taking place in just one committee: the House Energy and Commerce (E&C). Lawmakers have heard from technology experts, safety advocates, and Americans with disabilities who argue for AVs to expand mobility access. Lawmakers have held hearings on AVs on insurance impacts, trucking, competition from China, and more. But after more than 55 hours of hearings, an AV bill has yet to reach the President’s desk.
Meanwhile, human drivers are increasingly causing fatal accidents on U.S. roads, and Chinese self-driving car developers are catching up with their U.S. competitors.
To move AVs forward, Americans and companies developing self-driving vehicle technology are calling on Congress to change road laws. Fortunately, autonomous vehicle bills in Congress have a history of receiving bipartisan support.
Congress came close to the finish line in 2017, passing a bipartisan AV bill out of the E&C Committee that would have established a fundamental federal framework for regulating and deploying autonomous vehicles. The SELF DRIVE Act then passed the House floor on a bipartisan vote but stalled in the Senate.
Six years later, it’s time for Congress to get the job done. AVs have made dramatic advances in the intervening years, making it even more important for lawmakers to roll up their sleeves and work across party lines to draft legislation that ensures American leadership in the AV industry.
U.S. leadership in AVs will boost our economy and create new jobs. With the global market for vehicle AI and autonomous vehicles expected to exceed $320 billion by 2030, incentives and regulations must be enacted aggressively to streamline U.S. development and capture this fast-growing market.
The local adoption of AV technology also demonstrates that the industry will create new jobs, even though the vehicles do not employ drivers.
As part of its expansion in San Francisco, autonomous ride-sharing company Cruise signed a labor agreement with the IBEW and SEIU, bringing new jobs to the area. At the end of the day, autonomous vehicles are just vehicles. The widespread adoption of autonomous vehicles will require advanced vehicle repairs, and electric autonomous vehicles will require building and maintaining charging infrastructure. This means a continued and growing demand for a variety of workers, from electricians to engineers to mechanics.
However, despite the safety and economic benefits AVs offer, inaction on federal guidance and legislation has limited the deployment of AVs in the United States. Meanwhile, local government attempts to guide AV deployment have resulted in delays, bureaucracy, and uncertainty. Restrictions on AV production in the United States, not to mention outdated federal motor vehicle safety standards in place, further increase the risk that American manufacturers will fall behind international competitors. Federal action is desperately needed to enable nationwide AV development and production and move the industry forward.
The leadership of the Energy and Chemical Committee agrees. Chairman McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.) recently said,[i]”To ensure that the American people can enjoy the benefits of self-driving vehicles, we need to enact comprehensive national legislation that establishes a pathway to their safe deployment,” Rep. Frank Pallone (D-Jersey) stressed, calling on his Republican colleagues to make good on their promises and “find a bipartisan path forward that will advance the safe and responsible deployment of self-driving vehicles.”
Partisan divisions have stalled Congressional action on issues of universal importance, but AVs have the power to break that impasse. After all, reducing traffic deaths caused by human error and increasing mobility in non-driving neighborhoods are causes all lawmakers can support.
After 55 hours and nearly 20 hearings on autonomous vehicles, it is time for Congress to end the question and answer session and get serious about passing autonomous vehicle legislation. The E&C Committee needs to break the never-ending cycle of witness testimony and enable the introduction of autonomous vehicles that will save lives on America’s roads and keep our country at the forefront of an emerging industry.
Adam Kovacevich is the founder of a center-left tech industry coalition called the Chamber of Progress, whose corporate partners include Waymo, Lyft, Cruise, Apple and Google.
