Washington — TechNet, the national, bipartisan network of innovation economy
CEOs and senior executives, today issued the following statement in response to
new guidelines on autonomous vehicles (AV) released by the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA). The following
can be attributed to Linda Moore, president and CEO of TechNet.

“NHTSA today issued guidance on a potential national
framework for autonomous vehicle standards.
This guidance
will jumpstart
the process of determining the proper role for the federal government in establishing
uniform standards for AV technology, and we applaud NHTSA for this effort.

Self-driving vehicles have enormous potential —
in terms of making our roads safer; enabling mobility for seniors, the disabled,
and other Americans; and improving the efficiency of vehicles, which will help alleviate
traffic, reduce emissions, and limit costs.

As part of these guidelines, the federal government
is placing high expectations on manufacturers above existing federal standards. We believe this will build confidence in the safety
of this new technology from drivers and regulators alike.

We also welcome the clear delineation of federal
versus state responsibilities within the guidelines, the long-term focus on modernizing
existing federal tools, and ensuring that the guidelines create a flexible process
as the technology develops further.

We look forward to participating in the discussion
going forward so that we can ensure automated vehicle technology can continue to
develop for the benefit of American drivers.”

About TechNet
TechNet is the national, bipartisan
network of technology CEOs and senior executives that promotes the growth of the
innovation economy by advocating a targeted policy agenda at the federal and 50-state
level. TechNet’s diverse membership includes
dynamic startups to the most iconic companies on the planet and represents more
than two million employees in the fields of information technology, e-commerce,
advanced energy, biotechnology, venture capital, and finance. TechNet has offices
in Washington, D.C., Silicon Valley, San Francisco, Sacramento, Austin, Boston,
Seattle, Albany, and Tallahassee.