Washington, D.C. — TechNet, the national,
bipartisan network of innovation economy CEOs and senior executives, today welcomed
approval of S. 1885, the American Vision for Safer Transportation
Through Advancement of Revolutionary Technologies
(AV START) Act, by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation. The bill is the first major action the Senate has
taken to develop clear and consistent federal safety standards for self-driving
vehicles, also referred to as autonomous vehicles (AVs). The House of Representatives last month unanimously
passed its version of AV legislation, H.R 3388, the SELF DRIVE Act.

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 AV-related technology:

“Last year, more than 40,000
people were killed in automobile accidents stemming from human error and
distracted driving. Self-driving vehicles
can take human error out of the driving equation and help save lives. They will also provide greater mobility for
elderly Americans and persons with disabilities, and create more job
opportunities in manufacturing and research and development.

“We must continue working to
ensure federal laws and regulations are adopted that encourage self-driving
vehicle technology to get better, safer, and more reliable. We applaud Chairman John Thune and Senator
Gary Peters for leading this bipartisan effort in the Senate. We urge the full Senate to pass the AV START
Act as soon as possible, and keep the momentum going to enact the nation’s first
federal self-driving vehicle safety law.”