US Senate Transportation Committee approves AV START Act

The US Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation yesterday (4 October) approved the AV START Act – a bill which focused on “efforts to improve roadway safety through the deployment of self-driving vehicles”. The bill – whose full title is “S. 1885, The American Vision for Safer Transportation through Advancement of Revolutionary Technologies”- now includes new wording to establish a balance between federal and state laws affecting self-driving vehicles.

In a statement issued by the Transportation Committee, Senator John Thune, the chairman of the committee and lead Republican sponsor of The AV START Act, said: “Today’s vote underscores the bipartisan desire to move ahead with self-driving vehicle technology.

“The safety and economic benefits of self-driving vehicles are too critical to delay.”

Senator Gary Peters, the lead Democrat sponsor of the bill, added: “Self-driving vehicles will make transformative changes to improve mobility, reduce accidents and enhance safety for millions of travelers on our roads.”