Ed Markey Questions NTSB Chair About 'The Danger Of Autonomous Vehicles'

6 months ago

At yesterday's Senate Commerce Committee hearing, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) questioned NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy about the danger of roads to pedestrians, and the "danger" of autonomous vehicles.

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Transcript

00:00 Thank you, Madam Chair, very much.

00:04 Chair Homendy, thank you for being here today.

00:06 I'd like to discuss a subject that's very important to both of us.

00:12 Building safe, complete streets.

00:15 For too long, our transportation system has prioritized gas-guzzling, deadly, low-occupancy

00:20 cars that pollute our air and endanger road users.

00:25 Instead of building safe streets, we built risky roads that show speed over safety and

00:31 four-wheel drive over fairness.

00:33 Despite recent advancements in auto safety technologies, this is crazy.

00:39 The numbers are crazy.

00:40 2022 was the deadliest year for pedestrians in America since 1981.

00:46 That's unbelievable.

00:48 Our cars today are way safer than they were in 1981.

00:53 So why are the same number of people dying?

00:55 Because the roads haven't changed.

00:57 So Chair Homendy, do you agree that the design of our roads must always keep every road user

01:03 in mind?

01:04 All road users.

01:05 We cannot just look.

01:08 Traditionally, we focused on a car culture.

01:12 Getting people in vehicles from A to B most efficiently and in the fastest manner.

01:17 We have to look at the safety of all road users and design our streets accordingly.

01:22 So thank you.

01:23 And that's why I introduced my Complete Streets Act, which will require states to dedicate

01:28 a portion of their highway funds for projects that prioritize pedestrians, bicyclists, and

01:34 other road users.

01:37 And that bill finally puts livability, the health of our planet, and the safety of people

01:42 above everything else.

01:43 I'd also like to discuss the dangers of autonomous vehicles.

01:48 Today, large tech companies are deploying so-called automated driving systems that can

01:53 transport people around communities without a human driver.

01:58 While there are numerous examples of serious safety incidents involving these vehicles,

02:02 the National Highway Transportation Traffic Safety Administration has focused on retroactive

02:09 recall investigations and additional data collection.

02:14 While these actions are a good start, autonomous vehicles present new safety risks and require

02:19 proactive solutions.

02:21 So Madam Chair, do you agree that the federal government could do more to protect road users

02:26 from autonomous vehicles?

02:27 Yes, Senator.

02:28 In fact, we've issued recommendations for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

02:37 and for states to really focus in on 12 key safety elements that the Department of Transportation

02:45 itself put in a 2017 report, Automated Driving Systems 2.0, a vision for safety.

02:54 And that includes operational design domain.

02:57 So yes.

02:59 And finally, I'd like to talk about the importance of your agency.

03:03 The National Transportation Safety Board is the lead detective on all incidents involving

03:09 transportation safety in our country.

03:11 It's also our national conscience, the angel on our shoulder whispering in our ear to always

03:16 prioritize safety.

03:18 Under your leadership in roughly the last year, the NTSB led investigations on numerous

03:23 terrifying safety incidents, including a major trail derailment, a drain derailment, a plane

03:30 bursting open mid-flight, and now the destruction of a major bridge.

03:35 Throughout all of these disasters, you have steadily followed the facts and provided critical

03:39 recommendations that steer us towards safety.

03:42 And amazingly, your agency does this work with roughly the same staff power it has had

03:48 since 25 years ago in 1997.

03:53 Given your agency's impressive performance and the recent safety incidents, the NTSB

03:59 deserves further investment and resources.

04:01 So, Madam Chair, do you agree that we must increase your resources so that you can conduct

04:07 timely and responsive investigations?

04:10 I absolutely agree, Senator.

04:13 In fact, I think it would be really devastating, incredibly devastating to the agency to have

04:20 flat funding in the out years as currently proposed in the Senate FAA reauthorization

04:27 bill.

04:28 So, we hope that that increases over time.

04:31 Great.

04:32 And we thank you for all of your great work.

04:34 Thank you, Madam Chair.

04:35 Thank you, Senator Markey.

04:36 Senator Capito.

04:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]

Ed Markey Questions NTSB Chair About 'The Danger Of Autonomous Vehicles'

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