WASHINGTON — Engineers and safety advocates are telling the U.S. government that self-driving cars are more likely to be a threat than a benefit to public safety because of unresolved technical issues.
Even a trade association for automakers warned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at a public meeting Friday that a more deliberative approach may be needed than the agency's plan to provide guidance within six months on deploying the vehicles on roadways.
Paul Scullion, safety manager at the Association of Global Automakers, recently said there are risks to deviating from the government's traditional process of issuing regulations and standards.
But NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind says the agency must move quickly because cars with self-driving technology are already on U.S. roads.