Duffy, a former Fox News host, said this during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce Committee. Senator Ed Markey asked whether he would be able to maintain objectivity in the investigation of Tesla, headed by Elon Musk.
“Yes, I commit to this committee and to you that I will let NHTSA do their investigation,” Duffy said.
Under the Biden administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has conducted several investigations into the safety of Tesla's automated driving technology. One of the results of one of the largest inspections was the recall of more than 2 million Tesla vehicles in December 2023 to install improved safety features for the Autopilot function.
Sean Duffy notes that each state currently has its own laws regulating autonomous vehicles. He wants to create a federal law "by which all of these innovators can abide by it, no matter if they’re in Texas or in California or somewhere else."
As the Secretary of Transportation, Duffy has the opportunity to support the adoption of this law. There are also reports that Trump plans to support its adoption after taking office.
Over the past decade, Congress has considered several such proposals, but has not approved any of them. It remains to be seen whether the major differences will be resolved by the time the next opportunity arises.
The federal government has largely stepped aside in the regulation of autonomous vehicles, leaving states to develop their own rules for safe use.
By the way, a bill that could significantly increase the number of self-driving cars on the road has been stalled in Congress for more than seven years. Lawmakers are divided on a number of issues, including safety, liability, and determining the necessary number of exemptions from federal vehicle safety standards.