R Street Institute

Op-Eds

Mr. Nader Misses the Mark on Driverless Cars

by Ian Adams, Caleb Watney
Aug 30, 2018
Print
issues: Transportation
originally published in Wall Street Journal
Contrary to Mr. Nader’s description, exemptions from Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) aren’t a blank check to recklessly build cars that don’t adhere to the public’s safety expectations. Rather, by law, any company seeking an exemption must prove to federal regulators that such vehicles will be at least as safe as nonexempt vehicles.

The whole point of FMVSS exemptions is to balance the need for the development of transportation innovation with an accepted baseline of safety. To date, it’s a system that has worked well but must be expanded.

Ian Adams and Caleb Watney

R Street Institute

Washington

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