Washington,
D.C.
— TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation
economy CEOs and senior executives, today urged the U.S. Senate to continue moving
toward introduction and eventual passage of self-driving vehicles legislation,
following a hearing on the subject by the Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation.

The following statement can be
attributed to Linda Moore, president and CEO of TechNet, whose
membership includes General Motors, Lyft, Uber, Waymo, and other innovative
companies developing autonomous vehicle-related technology:

“The long-awaited future of
self-driving cars is here, and federal policymakers are recognizing that
reality by taking important steps to establish safety regulations without
needlessly stifling innovation. Secretary Chao’s announcement yesterday provides
innovators with important guidance that furthers the goal of bringing safe
self-driving cars to the road sooner. It’s time for the Senate to
finalize its self-driving vehicle legislation and begin moving it towards
becoming the nation’s first self-driving vehicle safety law signed by the
President.

“This
Congress cannot miss this historic opportunity to bring the benefits of self-driving
cars closer to reality for Americans.
Last year, more than 40,000 people were killed in automobile accidents,
and self-driving vehicles hold the promise of saving lives by cutting down on human
error and distracted driving. They will provide
greater mobility for elderly Americans and persons with disabilities. The safe and successful deployment of more self-driving
cars will also create more job opportunities in manufacturing and research and
development. For these and many more
reasons, Congress must act.”