The U.S. Federal Government noted yesterday that it would be releasing an autonomous vehicle policy designed to help guide the safe development of driverless tech, while also allowing flexibility so that companies can continue to innovate in this space. The full policy is now available, and viewable in full either via the embed below, or at the Transportation.gov official website.
Both the DOT and President Barack Obama prefaced the release of this document with comments yesterday that indicated the general tone and intent of the full guidelines, which include recommendations designed to help guide the interpretation of current laws related to roads and driving in the context of autonomous cars, and to help with the formulation of new regulations. They also include 15-point checklist that the government is asking anyone making driverless vehicles to fill out as a way to help regulators ensure due process around safety is being followed by all involved.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony R. Foxx says that the document, which spans 100 or so pages (plus footnotes), was created in consultation with industry stakeholders, subject matter experts, safety groups and more.
So far, industry reaction seems to be positive toward the new guidelines, with support coming from automakers, security providers and others working on the private side of the equation, but further study will be required before we can assess the true impact the new federal policy will have on the progress of the industry overall.