Congress to Unveil Self-Driving-Car Legislation

The U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce subcommittee is expected to introduce bills later this week to spur the introduction of autonomous vehicles and prevent states from setting their own rules on the issue, Reuters reports.

A spokeswoman for the committee says legislation likely will be introduced this week followed by a formal hearing next week. The group held a hearing last month on a draft package of 14 bills that would exempt as many as 100,000 vehicles a year per manufacturer from federal motor vehicle safety rules that prevent the sale of self-driving vehicles without traditional a steering wheels and foot pedal controls.

Carmakers and suppliers have been pushing for federal oversight on self-driving cars in part to avoid a patchwork of contradictory state laws that they argue would hinder widespread implementation of the technology. An industry group plans to begin airing radio ads today to support the proposed House legislation.

The U.S. Dept. of Transportation has said it will announce new guidelines for self-driving cars this summer that update a first-round structure issued under the Obama administration last September.