Next president will formalize self-driving rules, says DOT chief

Next president will formalize self-driving rules, says DOT chief

The next president will likely make mandatory the self-driving guidelines proposed by the Department of Transportation this summer, said DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx, according to the Detroit News.

The 15 guidelines ask automakers and technology companies to report autonomous car safety testing to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) before the cars are driven on public roads. The rules were set up to avoid a patchwork of state laws. The proactive approach is unusual for NHTSA, which is accustomed to making regulations after a carês safety system fails.

California has already said it would require companies to comply with the 15-point checklist in the voluntary guidelines. Toyotaês director of technology and innovation policy, Hilary Cain, told a Capitol Hill forum the state requirement is –preposterous” and that it would halt or delay testing, according to Reuters.

Other critics have complained that the guidelines are too vague and have no enforcement mechanism. The guidelines are currently in a 60-day public comment period.