U.S. House unanimously approves sweeping self-driving car measure

U.S. House unanimously approves sweeping self-driving car measure

The U.S. House on Wednesday unanimously approved a sweeping proposal to speed the deployment of self-driving cars without human controls by putting federal regulators in the driver’s seat and barring states from blocking autonomous vehicles.

The House measure, the first significant federal legislation aimed at speeding self-driving cars to market, would allow automakers to obtain exemptions to deploy up to 25,000 vehicles without meeting existing auto safety standards in the first year. The cap would rise over three years to 100,000 vehicles annually.

Representative Doris Matsui said the bill “puts us on a path towards innovation which, up until recently, seemed unimaginable.”

Our world is about to change very dramatically.

In addition to many obvious benefits, this will certainly disrupt some sectors, even if it doesn't impact commercial trucking for now.

Brave new world.

Cool let's do it! Yeah new things can be dangerous, but there's always those who will willingly or forcefully make sacrifices for the future and for our continued hunger for knowledge and power of our own universe.

I can see a lot of benefits to self driving cars. Certainly some draw backs as well but this is exciting none the less.

Brave New World indeed.

a reply to: loam

I have wondered who would be at fault if there was an accident between two such vehicles? Or if one malfunctions and hits a pedestrian on a crosswalk.

a reply to: loam

The House measure, the first significant federal legislation aimed at speeding self-driving cars to market,

Yep. Once again our legislators pave the way for corporations to push a new product onto the market.

allow automakers to obtain exemptions to deploy up to 25,000 vehicles without meeting existing auto safety standards in the first year.

Pardon my French, but what the ae[o5ri6upfw4eh.kjgdtr is that. Exemptions from meeting existing auto safety standards???????? For self driving cars??????????????????

a reply to: loam

Wonder what effect this will have on the number of cars on the road.
12 year old kids will have cars taking them all over the place.
90 year olds will never lose their mobility.

More traffic for sure but hopefully it will flow better.

Of course they had to stop the states from banning self driving cars....

... Can you imagine the amount of money that states (such as Michigan) will lose in drunk driving fines, driver responsibility fees, etc? Hell, even speeding tickets and such.... I can imagine just about every state having issue with this, and committing to some sort of legal action..... They will probably claim it interferes with safety or some garbage, when we all know it'll come down to revenue generation

a reply to: loam
I already own two self-driving cars. They are driven by my self . I'll wait to own one in like thirty years, after hundreds of thousands die in the glitches and aftermath of the first few waves of new tech. By that time, the only ones who die in those vehicles will be the ones hijacked by the government to kill political rivals or dissidents. Or hacke by criminals for paid assassinations.

In fact, I will just forego them altogether.

a reply to: loam

Wow, that's interesting. Good catch!

This is going to make a lot of people rich, especially with the self driving long haul trucks. Shoot out the tires, watch the truck run off the road and steal the load! The black market in cigarettes and liquor will go wild!

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Yep. Once again our legislators pave the way for corporations to push a new product onto the market.

Uh, you expected something different? The Corporations ARE their constituents. You do what your constituents tell you to do.

a reply to: loam

Otherwise known as the "Kill People With Robot Trucks" law.

I would guess Amazon will soon be in the trucking business, and all delivery drivers will be replaced, Pizza Hut, UPS, ice cream man etc. "Hey kids, here comes the ice cream truck!" They'll all be replaced like the Milkman.

originally posted by: TonyS
a reply to: TerryMcGuire

Yep. Once again our legislators pave the way for corporations to push a new product onto the market.

Uh, you expected something different? The Corporations ARE their constituents. You do what your constituents tell you to do.

No doubt about it Tony. Maybe a little fuss and squabble now and then to keep the peasants from lifting the curtain too far, but then it's business as usual.

There should be massive nation wide protests. I think the number is 12 million to be put out of work by it. Maybe more. Protest now or there will be riots later.

a reply to: loam

"In addition to many obvious benefits, this will certainly disrupt some sectors, even if it doesn't impact commercial trucking for now."





Disrupt you say?

It will wipe out human trucking.
There's so many videos on youtube already stating that.

Even Dominos has a stupid delivery robot.

There's a reason for this...



I applaud nothing where robots begin the process of replacing people.
Celebrate it now, cry later.

No jobs = everyone kissing the govs boots to survive.

a reply to: Black_Fox

While this bill doesn't cover trucking for now, the train has left the station for the issue. It's only a matter of time.

A UBI will never work. Our best hope is that the labor markets find a way to reorganize around these technological disruptions.

a reply to: loam

I don't know how easily the public will accept the idea of a self-driving car. Mechanical, electrical and programmed devices do malfunction and have glitches. It would take years for these cars to prove themselves reliable and safe for the public to accept them.

It would be great just to set your car for a long trip and just sit behind the wheel and doze-off. Until you open your eyes and see an 18 wheeler on a head-on collision course with your vehicle, yikes!!!

originally posted by: ericendtimes
a reply to: loam

I have wondered who would be at fault if there was an accident between two such vehicles? Or if one malfunctions and hits a pedestrian on a crosswalk.

Privatize the profit socialize the risks.

originally posted by: ericendtimes
a reply to: loam

I have wondered who would be at fault if there was an accident between two such vehicles? Or if one malfunctions and hits a pedestrian on a crosswalk.

Will there be a lot of hit and runs? What about animal run overs as well?

originally posted by: ericendtimes
a reply to: loam

I have wondered who would be at fault if there was an accident between two such vehicles? Or if one malfunctions and hits a pedestrian on a crosswalk.

Thats why here in CA. they are still drivers in the driverless car seat. One turned into a bus... whatever the real accident numbers are, the state is on its way to reducing private ownership of road vehicles.

California lawmakers set the state on the road to self-driving cars when they overwhelmingly approved Senate Bill 1298 in 2012. Autonomous vehicles, supporters say, will reduce human-caused deaths on the roadways, increase mobility for elderly and disabled people, and improve access to public transit.

Read more here: www.sacbee.com...=cpy

Improving...mass transit, one car at a time.

a reply to: Black_Fox

I applaud nothing where robots begin the process of replacing people.
Celebrate it now, cry later.

No jobs = everyone kissing the govs boots to survive.[/quote

And this goes straight to the heart of the matter don't you think?
Increased technology leads to robotics
Robotics leads to less jobs in a production oriented society.
As robotics replaces the human work force, how else will the masses be sustained?
As Musk suggests, one way is by a far reaching social income.
Another is by mass die off.