POLITICS: “A U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday [10-4-17] unanimously gave the green light to a bill aimed at speeding the use of self-driving cars without human controls, a measure that also bars states from imposing regulatory road blocks.
The bill still must clear a Senate vote, but it appears on track to passage. This should rev up profits for automakers, technology companies and ride service providers, hastening the day when their robot cars can carry passengers on the same U.S. roads as cars driven by people…
However the measure will not speed the process for self-driving commercial trucks, which remain in a slower lane despite support from several Republican senators.
The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved the bill, and the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously passed a similar measure last month. Automakers would be able to win exemptions from safety rules that require human controls. States could set rules on registration, licensing, liability, insurance and safety inspections, but not performance standards.”
-David Shepardson, “U.S. Senate panel puts self-driving cars in fast lane,” Reuters, Oct. 5, 2017 07:33am