Department of Transportation Eases Safety Regulations for Self-Driving Cars

The transportation secretary said slashing red tape would help the United States in the innovation race with China.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks at the Department of Transportation in Washington on March 11, 2025. Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo

The Department of Transportation (DOT) said on Thursday that it would ease some safety regulations for the development of self-driving vehicles in a move to maintain U.S. global dominance in the industry.

The DOT stated that it would expand the Automated Vehicle Exemption Program (AVEP)—which currently applies only to imported AVs—to include domestically-produced automated vehicles (AVs).

The program will exempt U.S. automakers from safety regulations for AVs intended for research or demonstration purposes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) letter.

“This Administration understands that we’re in a race with China to out-innovate, and the stakes couldn’t be higher,” Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said in a statement.

Duffy stated that the move is part of the DOT’s innovation agenda to move the United States “closer to a single national standard” that promotes innovation by removing barriers while also maintaining safety.

To maintain safety, NHTSA said that it will continue requiring vehicles with certain advanced driver assistance and automated driving systems to report crash incidents, and streamline the reporting process to remove “unnecessary and duplicative requirements.”

NHTSA’s chief counsel, Peter Simshauser, said the move would allow AV manufacturers to “develop faster and spend less time on unnecessary process, while still advancing safety.”

The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association (AVIA) said in a statement that it welcomes the administration’s new framework, touting it as a “bold and necessary step” to boost the country’s AV innovation.

“We look forward to working with Secretary Duffy and his team to implement smart, forward-looking policies that will make our roads safer, expand mobility, strengthen supply chains, and drive American economic growth for generations to come,” AVIA CEO Jeff Farrah stated.

John Bozzella, president and CEO of Alliance for Automotive Innovation, said that the new framework would help ensure that the United States will not “cede AV leadership to China and other countries.”

Bozzella added that the new framework for self-driving cars is “overdue.” He said that the AV industry has been “hamstrung by government inaction” in the past years.

“This technology works. It will help improve safety on the roads and increase mobility,” he said in a statement. “It’s time to move to the next phase of autonomous driving in America and that requires – urgently requires – a regulatory framework and a pathway to finally and fully deploy AVs in the country.”

Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety voiced disappointment with the administration’s move, emphasizing the need to enhance information on the safety of using self-driving cars on public roadways.

“The AV industry has been offering a myriad of promises, such as a reduction in crashes, more accessibility, less congestion and lower carbon emissions,” the agroup said in a statement.

“However, troubling incidents have already occurred in the small number of cities in which they are currently deployed ... Without safeguards, safety regulations, transparency and accountability, the success of AV deployment is imperiled at best and could result in deadly consequences at worst.”

The Epoch Times has reached out to the DOT for comment on the group’s concerns but did not receive a response by publication time.

In 2022, General Motors (GM) filed a petition with NHTSA seeking permission to deploy up to 2,500 self-driving vehicles annually without human controls such as brake pedals or mirrors. The automaker subsequently withdrew the petition last year after a lengthy government review had not been completed.

In December 2024, GM announced that it would halt funding for its self-driving Cruise robotaxi business, despite investing more than $10 billion in the venture.

Reuters contributed to this report.