WASHINGTON — Lawmakers questioned Tesla and Waymo executives about the safety and privacy of their self-driving cars at a Senate Commerce, Science, & Technology Committee hearing Wednesday.
Rules on self-driving cars currently differ state-to-state, and lawmakers from both parties agreed that Congress should implement federal regulations — though they remained concerned about the safety and privacy of autonomous vehicles.
Chairman and Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, expressed support for self-driving cars because they can’t drive drunk or distracted, which are leading causes of collisions. Cruz also said as a father of teenage girls, he “can’t wait for the day” that autonomous vehicles allow his daughters to avoid the risk of sexual harassment.
But lawmakers from both parties expressed concerns over safety, pointing to a series of incidents in Austin, Texas, where Waymo robotaxis failed to yield to school buses more than two dozen times.
“Safety is our top priority,” said Dr. Mauricio Peña, Waymo’s chief safety officer. “We are working with the Austin Independent School District to collect data on different lighting patterns and different conditions, and we’re also incorporating those learnings into our systems.”
Peña also defended a separate incident in Santa Monica, Calif., where a Waymo vehicle struck a child who suffered minor injuries. He said Waymo’s analysis found that the robotaxi avoided what would have been a more serious accident if a human were driving.
Democratic Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Ed Markey introduced the “Stay in Your Lane Act” to address automotive vehicle safety. The bill would require manufacturers to define the driving conditions in which their systems are safe to operate, so that they would be prohibited from driving in unsafe conditions.
Sen. Cruz said he’s worried the disjointed state-by-state regulations could inhibit American development, allowing China to take the lead.
“If Congress fails to act, we are not going to stop innovation. We will simply push it elsewhere,” Cruz said.
Sen. Bernie Moreno, R-OH., shared this concern and pressed Peña on employing foreign-manufactured vehicles.
“You said in your testimony that we’re locked in a race with China. It seems like you’re getting in bed with China,” Moreno said.
Peña countered by saying that by having a stable auto supply, Waymo is helping the technology scale faster, which gives the U.S. an advantage over China in innovation. Moreno called it “completely ridiculous” that this is helping the American economy.
A second bill championed by Markey, the AV Safety Data Act, would mandate more vehicle data to be reported, such as mileage and incidents on the road. Markey said transparency should be a prerequisite to federal regulations.
“We need more honesty from the industry,” Markey said.
Both bills remain in committee review.