US DOT unveils ‘world’s first autonomous vehicle policy,’ ushering in age of driverless cars

“Today, we put forward the first federal policy on automated vehicles,” said US Department of Transportation’s Secretary of Transportation, Anthony R. Foxx. “The most comprehensive national, automated vehicle policy that the world has ever seen.”

The highly-anticipated policy for autonomous vehicles focuses on what the department calls “highly automated vehicles,” in which a driver is able to regain control—like Tesla’s Autopilot. The guidelines also set performance standards for self-driving cars and offers guidelines for how states can legislate autonomous vehicles.

Carnegie Mellon’s Driverless Cadillac was featured at the event.