NHTSA Considers Safety Rules Change for Self-Driving Cars

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has announced it will revise safety rules that prevent fully autonomous cars from driving on roads without steering wheels, pedals, mirrors and other equipment.

According to reports, the NHTSA will seek to make changes to safety standards that some in the organization do no consider relevant for vehicles without human drivers. Under the current rules, automakers must meet a set of 75 safety standards, most of which assume the vehicles in question are being driven by humans.

The attempt at changing the standards comes after General Motors filed a petition seeking an exemption to the current rules in January. If approved, the company would be able to deploy vehicles without steering wheels as part of its planned 2019 ride sharing fleet.