Editorial

Regardless of political persuasion, I think many of us believe government regulation comes best in moderation. The debate about the proper approach to autonomous-vehicle (AV) regulation seemed to have reached a zenith at CES 2020, when the U.S. Dept. of Transportation, under Secretary Elaine Chao, announced its “AV 4.0” initiative. It reinforced the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) intent to effectively stand aside to allow AV development to proceed with safety-related and other standards established on a “voluntary” basis.

Safety advocates and AV doubters grumbled. But regulating something as fast-moving as AV development and technology at the time seemed like a recipe for discontent. So, NHTSA left it alone. Some might say the agency “stuck its head in the sand.”