Published • loading... • Updated
US Weighs Removing Steering Wheel Requirement for Driverless Cars
Jonathan Morrison said the agency will consider ending steering wheel requirements as Tesla and other robotaxi makers push for rules that fit driverless designs.
- On Thursday, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration administrator Jonathan Morrison said the agency will consider ending requirements that driverless cars include steering wheels, stating it "doesn't make any sense to require manual controls" for vehicles designed without human operators.
- This potential change follows NHTSA's move last month to remove mandatory manual brake pedals for autonomous vehicles, aiming to support purpose-built robotaxis like the Tesla Cybercab that lack traditional controls.
- While supporting innovation, Morrison issued a "call to action" for companies to ensure autonomous cars do not block emergency responders, noting that while incidents are rare, "every single one of these circumstances goes too far."
- Major robotaxi operators, including Alphabet Inc.'s Waymo and Amazon's Zoox, could benefit from the regulatory easing, even as Europe recently implemented stricter rules requiring driver-monitoring systems to track driver attention.
- Regulators remain concerned about Chinese lidar technology used by almost 90% of autonomous vehicles globally, while current testing for these purpose-built vehicles remains limited to 2,500 units.
Insights by Ground AI
12 Articles
12 Articles
US may scrap the steering-wheel rule for driverless cars
This week, two of the world’s biggest car regulators looked at the same question and reached opposite answers. The question is simple. What should sit between a human and a moving vehicle? In the United States, the top auto-safety official floated pulling the steering wheel out altogether. In Europe, new rules took effect that point […] This story continues at The Next Web
·Amsterdam, Netherlands (Kingdom of the)
Read Full Article
US to Explore Allowing Driverless Cars Without Steering Wheels
·New York, United States
Read Full Article
The head of the US automotive safety regulator NHTSA announced they will be considering removing the requirement for a steering wheel in self-driving vehicles. This decision creates a significant opportunity for Tesla and robotaxi companies.
Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left4Leaning Right2Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution45% Left
Bias Distribution
- 45% of the sources lean Left
45% Left
L 45%
C 33%
R 22%
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
