The Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research In Vehicle Evolution Act (H.R. 3388) passed the House in November, and a similar bill (S. 1885) is under consideration in the Senate.

Each bill seeks to establish federal control over regulations dealing with the development and deployment of highly autonomous vehicles.

The House bill would require the U.S. Department of Transportation to:

Complete research to determine the most cost effective method and terminology for informing consumers about the capabilities and limitations of each highly automated vehicle or each vehicle that performs partial driving automation; and

Determine whether such information includes terminology as defined by SAE International in Recommended Practice Report J3016 (published September 2016) or alternative terminology.

After the research is complete, the DOT would initiate a rulemaking proceeding to require manufacturers to inform consumers about the available information.

S. 1885, which has passed Senate Commerce Committee, would prohibit states from enacting laws or regulations governing highly autonomous vehicles.

The bill addresses:

• Expedited resolution of highly automated vehicles conflicts with standards;
• Highly automated vehicles testing;
• Highly automated vehicles exemptions;
• Inoperative controls;
• Levels of driving automation;
• Safety evaluation reports;
• Formation of a Highly Automated Vehicles Technical Safety Committee;
• Rulemaking;
• Consumer education;
• Traffic safety and law enforcement issues; and
• Cybersecurity.