Self-Driving Vehicles Can Now Be Made Without Steering Wheels Under New NHTSA Rules
The outgoing Donald Trump administration issued new rules Thursday related to self-driving vehicles in the United States, which would allow such vehicles to be exempted from certain crash standards applicable to traditional vehicles.
What Happened: The new rules, which will cut costs, only apply to vehicles that carry goods, according to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The rules reportedly also pave the way for manufacturers of passenger-carrying autonomous vehicles to build autos without certain controls such as steering wheels.
See Also: GM, Cruise To Seek NHTSA Approval For Self-Driving Cars With No Steering Wheels, Pedals
“We do not want regulations enacted long before the development of automated technologies to present an unintended and unnecessary barrier to innovation and improved vehicle safety,” said James Owens, deputy NHTSA administrator, in a statement.
A grouping called the Self-Driving Coalition — which includes the likes of Alphabet Inc’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) self-driving unit Waymo, Ford Motor Company (NYSE:
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