Tesla Self-Driving System Faulted by Safety Agency in Crash

Tesla Self-Driving System Faulted by Safety Agency in Crash
He said the lack of required safety assessments cedes power to automakers “who have frequently
proven they cannot be trusted to protect the public interest in their race for profits.”
Automakers and government officials contend that self-driving technology could reduce vehicle accidents
and traffic fatalities, which rose by nearly 8 percent in 2015 to more than 35,000 deaths.
The Transportation Department unveiled voluntary guidelines for testing autonomous vehicles on Tuesday as
part of a broader government effort to encourage automakers’ development of self-driving technology.
The guidelines replace policies set down by the Obama administration last year
that called for automakers to submit safety assessments of their self-driving models before testing them on public roads.
The renewed attention to the Tesla system came as automakers are jockeying to push driverless technologies forward, while lawmakers
and regulators scramble to keep pace, with the Trump administration putting forward its approach on Tuesday.
Some safety campaigners and consumer groups have been critical of the move toward voluntary rules covering self-driving technology,
including the guidelines introduced by Ms. Chao, saying they reduce federal oversight that was already too limited.