Press Releases

The future role of autonomous vehicles in U.S. transportation will be the focus of a Congressional hearing next week.

The House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, chaired by U.S. Rep. Tom Petri (R-WI), will examine the potential impacts of the technology on the transportation network and federal policies that may be necessary for their integration into the infrastructure system.  The panel plans to hear testimony from the U.S. Department of Transportation, a representative of state departments of transportation, representatives of the automobile manufacturing industry, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Eno Center for Transportation. 

Full Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-PA) recently received a demonstration of autonomous vehicle technology in Pennsylvania during an approximately 30-mile ride from suburban Pittsburgh to Pittsburgh International Airport, courtesy of Carnegie Mellon’s driverless vehicle.  The fully automated vehicle safely navigated a route that included various driving conditions and speeds in traffic on multi-lane and single lane highways, construction zones, traffic signals, and intersections. 

Click left for video of Chairman Shuster’s demonstration of autonomous vehicle technology

Next week’s hearing, entitled “How Autonomous Vehicles Will Shape the Future of Surface Transportation,” is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 19, 2013 in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.  Note: this hearing had originally been scheduled for October but was postponed.

Tuesday’s witnesses:

• The Honorable David Strickland, Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Mr. Kirk Steudle, Director, Michigan Department of Transportation; on behalf of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials  (AASHTO)
• Mr. Mike Robinson, Vice President of Sustainability and Global Regulatory Affairs, General Motors
• Mr. Andrew Christensen, Senior Manager of Technology Planning, Nissan Technical Center North America
• Dr. Raj Rajkumar, Carnegie Mellon University
• Dr. Joshua Schank, President and CEO, Eno Center for Transportation

More information about the hearing, including written testimony, additional background information, and link to a live webcast, will be posted here as it becomes available.