Multiple reports state that the US Department of Transportation is warming up to autonomous driving.
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has stated that USDOT will be releasing a new policy stance on driverless cars, and sooner rather than later.
This is one of those weird areas where the dividing line between federal and state authority is unclear. So far, driverless cars have primarily been the domain of state-level DMVs, but the USDOT has influence, as well, often via funding levels.
The classic example is that the federal government never mandated a nationwide drinking age of 21 years-old. Instead, Congress directed USDOT to withhold highway funding from any state that did not implement a 21 year-old drinking age.
The power of the purse is sometimes more meaningful than the power of the sword.
Originally published at www.davidincalifornia.com on November 27, 2015.
David Silver 