Trump’s newly appointed Department of Transportation head Elaine Chao says that she will be taking a closer look at self-driving vehicle regulations issued by the Obama administration.
Yesterday Chao told the National Governors Association that she planned to reassess the current autonomous vehicle guidelines: “This administration is evaluating this guidance and will consult with you and other stakeholders as we update it and amend it, to ensure that it strikes the right balance.”
Chao Seeks To Strike The Right Balance With Self-Driving Vehicle Technology
While Chao went on to say that while she was concerned about the job loss that driverless vehicles could cause, she also believes that the technology could dramatically improve highway safety. Chao noted that 94% of crashes are caused by driver error.
Overall, Chao’s remarks seemed to indicate that the Trump administration will not action to stop the implementation of self-driving vehicle technology even at the risk of killing jobs.
She said that the White House wants to be “a catalyst for safe, efficient technologies, not an impediment. In particular, I want to challenge Silicon Valley, Detroit, and all other auto industry hubs to step up and help educate a skeptical public about the benefits of automated technology.”
Elaine Chao is officially the new Sec of Transportation. Here’s what we know about her view on self-driving cars: https://t.co/CSe6XS91LF
— WIRED Autopia (@Autopia) January 24, 2017
Sources:
NBC News
WIRED
Reuters