Travel on public roads and highways could become less congested. As a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) report noted, highly automated vehicles "hold a learning advantage over humans. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation reported S. 1885 on November 28, 2017. The first report issued by DOT, Federal Automated Vehicles Policy , laid the foundation for regulation and legislation by clarifying DOT's thinking in four areas
a set of guidelines outlining best practices for autonomous vehicle design, testing, and deployment; a m odel s tate p olicy that identifies where new autonomous vehicle-related issues fit in the current federal and state regulatory structures; a streamlined review process to expedite requests for DOT regulatory interpretations to spur autonomous development; and identification of new tools and regulatory structures for NHTSA that could aid in autonomous deployment, such as expanded exemption authority and premarket testing to assure that autonomous vehicles will be safe. Traditionally, NHTSA has regulated auto safety, while states have licensed automobile drivers, established traffic regulations, and regulated automobile insurance. One example would be to employ event data recorders—now used in a limited way on nearly all motor vehicles to record vehicle and driver information in the seconds before a crash—for use in autonomous vehicles to identify safety-related defects. NHTSA said it has the statutory authority now for this tool. Licensing and registration procedures. Consumer Privacy. Congressional Action

Committees in the House of Representatives and the Senate have held numerous hearings on the technology of autonomous vehicles and possible federal issues that could result from their deployment. On September 6, 2017, the House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.R. They retain and seek to clarify the current arrangement of states controlling most driver-related functions and the federal government being responsible for vehicle safety. 3388 , states would not be allowed to regulate the design, construction, or performance of highly automated vehicles, automated driving systems, or their components unless those laws are identical to federal law. S. 1885 would also preempt states from adopting laws, regulations, and standards that would regulate many aspects of autonomous vehicles, but would omit some of the specific powers reserved to the states under the House-passed bill. Within two years of enactment, H.R. 3388 would require DOT to issue a final rule requiring each manufacturer to show how it is addressing safety in its autonomous vehicles, with updates every five years thereafter. The House-passed bill would require DOT to submit a safety priority plan rulemaking within a year of enactment, indicating which existing federal safety standards must be updated to accommodate autonomous vehicles, the need for new standards, and NHTSA's safety priorities for autonomous vehicles and other vehicles. Cybersecurity. Privacy. Manufacturing Study . The House and Senate bills also address several vehicle safety standards not directly related to autonomous vehicles:
Rear Seat Occupant Alert System. In an effort to reduce or eliminate infant fatalities, H.R. Headlamps. Controversy with the Legislation

Since the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee reported S. 1885 last year, several highly publicized crashes involving vehicles operating autonomously for testing purposes have prompted new concerns about how the federal government should regulate the new technologies. Both bills seek to identify a new regulatory arrangement by preempting new state and local safety standards for autonomous vehicles, but state and local governments have sought a role in federal advisory committees, notification of proposed exemptions from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, and clarification that traditional state and local authority over matters such as enforcing traffic laws will not be infringed.
Legislation recently passed by the House of Representatives—H.R. 3388—and pending in the Senate—S. 1885—would provide new regulatory tools to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to oversee autonomous vehicles. Autonomous vehicles are seen as a way to reduce motor vehicle crashes; for example, there were 37,461 deaths from motor vehicle crashes in 2016 and nearly all of them were caused by driver error. However, despite unanimous approval in House and Senate committees and on the House floor, the legislation has proven controversial in the wake of several high-profile accidents involving autonomous vehicles being tested on public roads.
At present, no fully autonomous vehicles are available for public use. Many new vehicles have automated some driver functions, but all require a human to monitor the driving environment and control the vehicle. However, rapid advances in technology have made it likely that vehicles with high levels of automation will be on the market within a few years, raising questions about the adequacy of existing methods of safety oversight.
The federal government and the states share motor vehicle regulation, with the federal government responsible for vehicle safety and states for driver-related aspects such as licensing and registration. While NHTSA has the statutory authority to regulate all types of motor vehicles, its traditional standard-setting process would take many years at a time when vehicle innovation is changing rapidly; standards envisioned now could be obsolete by the time they took effect. In the absence of NHTSA regulation of autonomous vehicles, nearly half the states have enacted laws on different aspects of autonomous vehicle deployment, resulting in a wide variety of state regulation.
On September 6, 2017, the House of Representatives passed by voice vote H.R. 3388. The legislation, which incorporates some provisions recommended in 2016 and 2017 U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) reports, would preempt state regulation of some aspects of autonomous vehicle deployment, while providing new regulatory tools to NHTSA. H.R. 3388 would
preempt states from regulating the design of autonomous vehicles, unless those laws are identical to federal law; expand NHTSA's authority to grant exemptions from its standards to encourage innovation; require each manufacturer to submit a "safety assessment certification" showing how it is addressing autonomous vehicle safety; mandate within one year of enactment a NHTSA report indicating what federal safety standards must be updated and listing its vehicle safety priorities; and require manufacturers to publicize their cybersecurity and data privacy plans.
The legislation would also establish an advisory committee, a new regulation for rear-seat occupant alerts (to reduce infant fatalities), and a review of headlamp standards. On November 8, 2017, the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation reported S. 1885, legislation that is similar in many respects to the House-passed legislation. Both bills address state preemption, safety standards, exemption authority, consumer information, cybersecurity, and privacy, but differ in their details.