U.S. Congress seeks to jump start stalled self-driving car bill

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

BUSINESS NEWS JULY 30, 2019 / 5:42 PM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

U.S. Congress seeks to jump start stalled self-driving car bill

David Shepardson
3 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two key committees in the U.S. Congress on Tuesday said they are reviving efforts to pass long-stalled legislation to speed the adoption of self-driving cars.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Commerce Committee sent automakers, safety groups and others interested in the bill a request seeking input and said they are working on a “bipartisan and bicameral basis to develop a self-driving car bill.”

In December, Congress abandoned efforts to pass legislation on self-driving cars before it adjourned, in a blow to companies like General Motors Co and Alphabet Inc’s Waymo unit.

The Energy and Commerce Committee said in a statement on Tuesday it is “committed to finding a solution that balances the American creative spirit with a clear federal framework that advances technology that will save lives, improve mobility for so many, and drive economic growth. We believe an open process will deliver an outcome we can all support.”The letter seeks input by Aug. 23 on a variety of issues including federal rules - both current or new - testing, privacy, disability access, cybersecurity, consumer education and crash data.

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Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-autos-selfdriving-congress/u-s-congress-seeks-to-jump-start-stalled-self-driving-car-bill-idUSKCN1UP2HV

[htuttle]

1. So who would be liable if the self-driving car got in an at-fault accident?

If it's the driver, I can guarantee that the car manufacturers are going to get sued by the driver's insurance company. So that seems to make it the manufacturer's responsibility.

I didn't see this question addressed in the linked article, does anyone know if and how insurance liability is addressed in these bills?