Government Gets Into Self-Driving Cars - Weebly

 Government Gets Into Self-Driving Cars-95249533400WASHINGTON, D.C. — Government officials are beginning to introduce guidelines for safely bringing self-driving cars to the roads. The goal is to help get the technology to buyers faster.Car makers and tech companies have been testing self-driving cars on roads for several years. They have a human in the driver's seat just in case of an emergency. The results suggest that what once seemed like distant technology could be coming sooner than we thought.Benefits And DrawbacksOfficials want to gain the benefits while making sure the cars are ready to be widely used. One possible benefit is increased safety. The cars can react faster than people. They pay more attention and do not drink alcohol. Officials hope the guidelines will bring order to what has been a chaotic start.President Barack Obama wrote about the hopes for self-driving cars in an opinion piece in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The cars might save thousands of lives each year, he said. They could change the lives of the elderly and the disabled, he wrote.Obama expects safer driving and less traffic and pollution. "That's what harnessing technology for good can look like," he wrote. However, he added: "We have to get it right." Americans deserve to know they will be safe today as we build the technology of tomorrow, he said.Putting Trust In Recall FearsOne expert said the guidelines show that the government welcomes self-driving cars. "This is huge," said Bryant Walker Smith, a professor at the University of South Carolina who tracks the technology. He warned that many details remain unclear.The government made it clear that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will seek recalls if needed. Recalls force car manufacturers to fix cars they have sold. They can cost manufacturers money. The government expects self-driving systems to make people in the car pay attention.The NHTSA released guidelines showing it can use recalls to regulate technology. Self-driving systems must account for distracted driver-riders who do not take control of the vehicle in an emergency, officials said. Otherwise, it may be considered too risky and subject to recall. Working Out The BugsOfficials say the guidelines aren't aimed at electric car maker Tesla Motors. However, they would address events like a crash in Florida, which involved a Tesla car. The crash happened while a Tesla car was using its self-driving technology.The technology can keep a car in its lane and brake when it spots things in the way. This day, though, the car failed to spot a crossing semi-truck and neither the system nor the human driver braked. The cars crashed.Tesla has since announced changes to improve how the system spots things. The company said it warns drivers they must be ready to take over at any time.Federal Versus State ManagementOfficials said the U.S. government, rather than the states, should be in charge of self-driving cars.States have set the rules for licensing drivers. However, when the driver becomes a computer, the U.S. government plans to take charge, transportation leader Anthony Foxx said. Automakers should be allowed to check the safety of self-driving vehicles on their own, said officials. They are asked to follow a checklist. Companies are not forced to follow the checklist, but Foxx said he expects they will.It's in their interest to follow the rules to gain the trust of the government and the public, Foxx said.More Like Guidelines Rather Than RulesNHTSA hopes to keep the guidelines short. Mark Rosekind, the NHTSA leader, has said he wants the guidelines to keep up with changing technology.Some people want safety laws instead of voluntary guidelines.Automakers wanted the guidelines partly because they fear states will have many different laws. It could make it harder to make and sell self-driving cars.Michigan is looking at laws that would allow the testing of self-driving cars without brakes or pedals. New York, on the other hand, has a law that requires drivers to always keep one hand on the wheel. The old law does not work with self-driving technology. The human driver would not need to use the wheel.AOW ResponseComplete your written response to this week’s article by completing the blanks below. DO NOT copy/paste any part of your response. You MUST use your own words in all the blanks except for the quote.Title: ______________________________In the article, _______________________________, the author is saying that ___________________________ _____________. More specifically, the author says that______________________________________________. The author writes __________________________________________.” According to the passage,_____________________________________________. In conclusion, __________________________________ ___________________________________.My view on this subject is that __________________________________________. More specifically, I believe that ____________________________________________. For example, ________________________________________________. Although there are those who might believe _____________________________________, I maintain that ________________________________________________. Therefore, I conclude that ______________________________________________________. ................
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