As more and more states start to take on pilot programs for autonomous vehicle technology, lawmakers are questioning what the government’s role should be in this new technological disruption.
Tim Day, the U.S. Chamber’s senior vice president for the Chamber Technology Engagement Center (C_TEC), testified this morning before the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of House Energy and Commerce on self-driving technology and the immense opportunities for American drivers.
Day stated:
To achieve growth in emerging technologies, our leaders have to make sure to keep their eyes on three overarching principles: 1) Encouraging emerging technologies to get to the open market, not stifling them before they can even be tested; 2) Maintaining one national standard rather than a patchwork of state regulations, a patchwork which will lead to uneven solutions; and 3) Preserving the ability of inventors and creative companies to fully utilize data and iterative learning from that data to produce technologies to better American lives.
The Chamber believes that innovation and technological advancement supporting self-driving vehicles can lead to huge growth and opportunity throughout the nation. We aren’t alone. It’s clear that voters also support self-driving vehicles and understand their benefits.
C_TEC conducted a Morning Consult survey from June 21-22, showing that three in five voters support the use of self-driving vehicles. According to the survey, voters overwhelmingly predict the positive impact of self-driving vehicles; 63 percent say it will benefit the elderly, 65 percent say they will benefit the disabled, 59 percent say they will help drunk drivers, and 61 percent say it will improve situations where drivers are distracted. Additionally, 57 percent strongly prefer federal standards when it comes to laws governing use of self-driving vehicles, and 70 percent agree with their importance regarding safety and state coordination.
The potential for growth is undeniable. The U.S. Chamber supports the continued development and gathering of information to promote autonomous vehicle technology. The advancement of self-driving cars can put the United States at the forefront of the industry and will lead to continued leadership and innovation for years to come.
You can watch the entire testimony here or below:
About the authors
Sallie Collamore
Sallie is a former intern in the communications department at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
