California Governor Gavin Newsom has slammed the Trump administration for reportedly challenging road safety mandates.
Senate Committee To Take Aim At Road Safety Mandates
The Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), plans to challenge automotive safety measures, including auto emergency braking and child reminder systems that alert drivers when a child is in the rear seat, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.
Sen. Ted Cruz's office didn't immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.
The decision from the committee comes amid concerns about vehicle affordability in the U.S., arguing that the features mentioned above drive up vehicle costs and do little by way of enhancing safety, the report suggests.
The lawmakers are set to hold a hearing in January and have reportedly summoned officials from the Detroit Big Three — Ford Motor Co. (NYSE:F), General Motors Co. (NYSE:GM) and Stellantis NV (NYSE:STLA) — as well as a senior Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) executive, the report said.
Ford, Stellantis, GM and Tesla didn't immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comment.
Gavin Newsom Slams Trump Administration
Newsom, in a post on the social media platform X, criticized the GOP lawmakers on Tuesday. "Republican priorities: Ensure it's easier to get into a car accident. Great work," Newsom said in his post.
Newsom had earlier clashed with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy over the latter’s comments urging passengers to dress up for air travel.
Push Toward Tech-Enhanced Safety Measures
The news comes as companies have been pushing towards making cars safer through technological advancements, including AI. Recently, Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU) unveiled its automotive UFS 4.1 storage, aimed at faster AI data access, which could support advanced driver assistance systems and autonomous driving by processing data from cameras, lidar, and radar sensors.
Chinese automaker Nio Inc. (NYSE:NIO) also unveiled the Banyan 2.6.5 CN system, which introduces auto emergency braking capabilities that can detect and avoid several elements on the road, like vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians crossing diagonally.
Recently, a Tesla Owner said that the onboard safety systems on her vehicle protected her and her 3-year-old son during a head-on collision. The owner that that he company's Sentry mode helped her share the crash footage with her attorney and the authorities following the crash.
Pete Buttigieg's Autonomous Driving Regret
Meanwhile, former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg shared that some autonomous driving technologies are "safer than human beings," adding that the tech had the potential to save many lives. He also expressed regret that the administration could've made more efforts to accelerate AV adoption in the U.S.
Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.
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