Lawmakers want driverless vehicle rules in transportation bill

‘Something like this really is calling out for federal regulation,’ says one California Democrat

Roll Call By Valerie Yurk

September 23, 2025

As development of autonomous vehicles continues to grow, House lawmakers are working on language for the surface transportation reauthorization bill that would promote creation of a national safety regulatory framework for self-driving cars, saying such regulation would help build public trust for the new technology.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced in April an autonomous vehicle framework aimed at making safety a priority and boosting deployment of the cars. Even so, lawmakers from both parties have said the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has been too slow to come up with national rules for the vehicles.

Some states have developed their own AV safety regulations, but NHTSA has not put out final comprehensive safety regulations for highly and fully autonomous vehicles.

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