Argo AI announces council to oversee safety standards of its self-driving cars

The Argo Safety Advisory Council is made up of external experts who will advise the company on safety practices and building public trust in self-driving vehicles.

The move comes as Pennsylvania looks to make the state more attractive to autonomous vehicle companies. In June, the Pennsylvania House passed a bill that would allow self-driving cars to, well, self-drive — without a human present who could take over in an emergency situation.

The idea isn’t universally loved. Earlier in the year, a Pennsylvania Senate committee considered a similar law that never made it to the full Senate for voting.

The Argo Safety Advisory Council’s members include former medical officer and former chairman for the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Mitchell Garber and Robert Sumwalt; former FBI assistant director Christopher “Todd” Doss; David Kelly, former acting administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; and Annette Sandberg, former administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.