We have seen a lot of changes in the auto industry over the past few years. One evident change is an increase in lobbying for driverless vehicles. A lot of the main plays in the self-driving vehicle sector are increasing their lobbying presence to try and convince policymakers that the vehicles they have designed and manufactured are safe for the roads.
With that being said, in this blog post, we are going to take a look at the lobbying for driverless cars in further detail.
Lobbying for Driverless Cars
There are ambitious objectives in the industry at present when it comes to bringing self-driving vehicles to the public. However, there are some concerns. These concerns have only been heightened as the result of a number of high-profile accidents that have happened during vehicle tests. Last year, in Arizona, a pedestrian died after being hit by an Uber and, of course, there was the crash of a Tesla while on autopilot back in March.
However, we are seeing that companies are spending big when it comes to lobbying for driverless vehicles. In the first two quarters of 2019, we saw Uber spend almost $1.3 million. Moreover, General Motors spent $5.3 million during the same period. The company has a unit for autonomous vehicles, which is known as Cruise. These are just two examples of many when it comes to the increased money that is being spent on lobbying in this industry.
Nevertheless, it is certainly not going to be easy to bring these cars to the market. Businesses face a very difficult task in Washington at the moment whereby several agencies and committees are still trying to find numerous issues relating to self-driving vehicles, for instance, cybersecurity, road safety, and so on. This makes it difficult to sell such vehicles to the public when you consider that these sorts of worries are public knowledge and there have been high-profile accidents.
After the crash that involved the death of a pedestrian in Arizona, it was reported in The New York Times that there were incidents of vandalism on autonomous cars being used in tests. Moreover, during the Tesla crash, while the vehicle was not autonomous, it was on autopilot. However, it should be noted that there was a driver at the wheel in that accident.
We cannot deny that there is a lot of skepticism in the area from the public regarding the safety of these vehicles. Although manufacturers are spending large amounts of money on lobbying to try and rewrite laws so that autonomous technology can be used and sold, people still do not seem overly convinced about the security assurances that are currently being made.
Hopefully, this has given you an insight into the increased lobbying for driverless cars. There is no denying that this is a story that is going to have many chapters, twists, and turns in the coming years as the key players take further steps to show that their vehicles are safe for the road. Are you based in Nevada and looking for reliable legislative assistance services? Do not hesitate to consult the best Nevada lobbyist for help.
