U.S. to Ease Rules on Advanced Self-Driving Vehicles

U.S. regulators plan to rework vehicle safety laws so as to allow fully automated vehicles that lack steering wheels and foot pedals to operate on public roads.

Updating the standards will help developers accelerate the technologies required for completely autonomous cars, says the Dept. of Transportation. It details its philosophy in an 80-page white paper called Automated Vehicles 3.0.

Current safety standards assume that a licensed driver will be behind the wheel at all times. Thus they dictate steering and foot controls, rearview mirrors, windshield wipers and design elements to facilitate manual driving.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which administers safety regulations, is likely to impose new physical and/or computer simulated test procedures for autonomous vehicles.

Separately, DOT announced that it is rescinding special status granted during the Obama administration to 10 autonomous vehicle test facilities in the U.S. The proving grounds were eligible for federal grants to fund demonstration projects. But DOT says it now believes there is no need to favor the 10 sites over others.