Self-driving cars have been a very popular topic for some time now. Many companies have invested time, energy, and a lot of money to push self-driving cars into entering the market.
Recently, giants like Ford, Google, Volvo and American multinational online transportation network Uber, which was founded in 2009 have revealed their self-driving cars’ related projects that are expected to lower the number of road accidents.
Ford, Google, Volvo, Lyft, and Uber “are forming a coalition to push for federal action to help speed self-driving cars to market,” according to Reuters. “In 2014 there were 32,675 fatalities and 2.3 million injured in 6.1 million crashes on U.S. roads. NHTSA says about 94 percent of all traffic crashes are caused by human error.”
Since self-driven cars have been and still are a major topic among many concerned citizens who have been looking forward to know the new road rules and have a clear guidance to proceed, the coalition formed by the five companies mentioned above has started to work with lawmakers, regulators, as well as the public in order to define the rules and make people, companies, businesses, etc. realize how important this issue is and how self-driven cars will change the way we drive and significantly increase people’s safety on the road as well as decrease road accidents by removing human errors.
“What people are looking for is clear rules of the road of what needs to be done for (fully autonomous) vehicles to be on the road,” according to former top official of the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) David Strickland. “Nobody wants to take a shortcut on this,” added Strickland who will be the counsel and spokesman of the coalition.
All companies involved in the coalition are focusing not only on working with lawmakers, regulators, and the public, but also with “civic organizations, municipalities and businesses to bring the vision of self-driving vehicles to America’s roads and highways.”
Furthermore, self-driving cars could help improve the environment while new guides that are expected to be introduced shortly will also improve road experience for disabled people. “1.3 million people die every year in traffic accidents -- many of them young people,” according to a statement by Uber given to TechNewsWorld. “Self-driving cars can help save millions of lives as well as cut congestion in our cities. That's an exciting future, and one Uber intends to be a part of.”
NHTSA, according to Reuters, hopes to release its guidance to states, policymakers and companies on self-driving vehicles in July 2016.
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