The Trump administration announced new regulatory changes on April 24, aiming to speed up the adoption of autonomous vehicles. These changes include relaxing some federal safety regulations for human-driven vehicles and streamlining the reporting requirements for minor accidents.
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy stated that the regulatory overhaul aims to support American automakers competing with China and others in the autonomous vehicle development race. He added that the current administration is fully aware that the U.S. is in a technological innovation competition with China.
Under the newly announced regulations, some autonomous vehicles that do not meet existing federal safety standards, such as rearview mirrors, will now be allowed to operate on public roads. Manufacturers can now report minor accidents every month.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that the new regulations will expand the safety exemption program for some autonomous vehicles and simplify the accident reporting system for advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving systems.
This action is expected to impact the U.S. electric vehicle industry, which is nearing the commercialization of autonomous driving technology. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, known to have close ties with President Trump, has often discussed plans for the launch of the company’s autonomous taxi, robotaxi. Tesla is under investigation by the NHTSA after a fatal incident involving its Full Self-Driving (FSD) system.
The Trump administration’s easing of regulations on autonomous vehicles is interpreted as a strategy to speed up commercialization and gain a competitive advantage for U.S. companies in the global market.
