Washington, D.C.—Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) has commended the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “Automated Driving Systems 2.0: A Vision for Safety” guidance as an important step toward the creation of a clear and positive policy framework for autonomous vehicles (AVs).

“We believe this document serves as a strong step forward, acting as both a strong interim policy framework and as a foundation for broader policies,” said Amitai Bin-Nun, the Vice President of Autonomous Vehicles and Mobility Innovation at SAFE. “AVs hold great societal promise, and we look forward to working with the agency to accelerate AV deployment and maximize their benefit to society.”

In its comments to NHTSA on the “Vision for Safety”, SAFE also called on the agency to co-ordinate with other DOT agencies to provide clearer private-sector guidance on heavy-duty automation, and further suggested creating benchmarked levels of safety to improve public confidence in AVs—a proposal first made by SAFE’s Commission for AV Testing and Safety in its January report.

About Securing America’s Future Energy

Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) is an action-oriented, nonpartisan organization that aims to reduce America’s dependence on oil. Near-total dependence on petroleum in the transportation sector undermines the nation’s economic and national security, and constrains U.S. foreign policy. To combat these threats, SAFE advocates for expanded domestic production of U.S. oil and gas resources, continued improvements in vehicle fuel efficiency, and transportation sector innovations including electric vehicles, natural gas trucks, and autonomous vehicles. In 2006, SAFE joined with General P.X. Kelley (Ret.), 28th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, and Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President, and CEO of FedEx Corporation, to form the Energy Security Leadership Council (ESLC), a group of business and former military leaders committed to reducing the United States’ dependence on oil. Today, the ESLC is co-chaired by Frederick W. Smith and General James T. Conway (Ret), 34th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps.
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