On Feb. 14, the Digital Commerce and Consumer Protection Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee held a hearing to discuss the advancements in the world of self-driving cars.
While the invited witnesses primarily consisted of automakers and ride-share operators, the Auto Care Association submitted a letter for the official record urging the committee to look more broadly at the impact of advanced vehicle technologies and to consider their data security implications.
During the hearing, members of the committee showed general support for the advancement of self-driving cars, but also stressed to automakers and other stakeholders the importance of adequate testing in order to address consumer safety concerns. In the letter submitted as part of the hearing record by Rep. Bob Latta, R-Pa., it pointed out that when it comes to autonomous vehicles, consumers face more than physical safety concerns – the security and ownership of the data transmitted by their autonomous vehicle are at stake as well.
The Auto Care Association will continue to advocate on behalf of the industry and consumer protection as this issue progresses.
By Sheila Andrews, director, government affairs, Auto Care Association
