The CEOs of the country’s top self-driving car companies are heading to Washington D.C. on Tuesday for a major safety forum. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is hosting the event to discuss the future of autonomous vehicles on American roads. The guest list includes the leaders of Alphabet’s Waymo, Amazon’s Zoox, and the self-driving truck company Aurora.
The Trump administration organized this summit to find ways to speed up the rollout of robotaxis while simultaneously addressing growing safety concerns. The government wants to remove regulatory roadblocks but also needs to figure out how to properly monitor these new, driverless machines.
The day-long meeting will tackle several hot-button issues. Officials will discuss the common practice of using remote human workers to help stuck robotaxis. They will also debate how regulators should fairly compare the driving records of robots versus human drivers.
NHTSA Administrator Jonathan Morrison recently stated that the agency wants to support this new technology because it could ultimately reduce crashes and help people who cannot drive themselves. He promised a “measured approach” that encourages innovation without sacrificing public safety.
However, the agency is not turning a blind eye to current problems. Morrison admitted that the technology is far from perfect. The NHTSA is already investigating several incidents, including reports of Waymo vehicles illegally passing stopped school buses. Morrison warned that the agency will not hesitate to step in when it sees a public risk.
The timing of the forum is critical. The NHTSA says the country has reached an “inflection point” where self-driving cars are moving from small pilot programs to everyday traffic. Waymo alone is already providing 400,000 driverless rides every week across major cities like San Francisco and Miami. Meanwhile, Congress is still debating whether to pass new laws that would make it easier to put even more of these vehicles on the road.
