Congress Will Be Bombarded With Autonomous Car Propaganda This Week

This week, the Coalition for Future Mobility — a recently formed automotive trade group representing major automakers and self-driving advocates — will roll out a bevy of targeted television spots, print ads, and social media posts specifically designed to encourage Congress to adopt legislation assisting the budding industry’s growth.

Earlier in the month, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would expedite the deployment of self-driving cars and prohibit states from blocking autonomous vehicle testing. This was immediately followed by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao publicly outlining the NHTSA’s updated automotive safety guidance — which was less about ensuring the safe development of self-driving cars and more about destroying regulatory red tape.

The Senate is the final piece of the puzzle. Automakers want to make sure it’s seeing things their way before casting their vote on whether or not the industry gets the governmental green light.

The House proposal only applies to vehicles under 10,000 pounds and would permit automakers to obtain exemptions to deploy up to 25,000 test vehicles without meeting existing auto safety standards in the first year. The cap would rise over a three-year period to 100,000 vehicles annually and could not be blocked by individual states. However, the Senate is looking at its own legislation that would likely expand to include heavier commercial vehicles.

Coalition for Future Mobility radio spots have been running for several weeks already. But this week’s sudden influx of persuasive media is to help influence Congress. According to Reuters, a Senate panel could take up the autonomous issue by October 4th — making this an opportune time to begin the campaign.

Here’s a taste of what the Coalition for Future Mobility has in store for them:

In addition to the advertisements, automakers will reach out to employees and retirees to encourage their members of Congress to support autonomous deployment, a spokeswoman for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers explained. The coalition isn’t soft-balling its message, either. It’s framing this entire situation as a important cultural milestone and historical turning point on its website:

“Sixty years ago, at a moment in time when visionary action was needed, Congress passed the federal interstate highway act. It brought mobility to a nation, strengthening the economy in a powerful way. This Congress is poised to make history again….to make its own tremendous advancements in transportation by liberating innovation for self-driving vehicles.

Right now, Congress is laying out a road map for self-driving vehicles in order to bring a host of benefits to Americans.”

The entire issue, as well as the campaign, is somewhat divisive. On one hand, automakers, tech companies, and advocates of autonomous vehicles would absolutely benefit from being mired in regulatory oversight. It could be the leg-up domestic firms need to ensure dominance in the new industry and get products to market. But safety advocates are right in throwing some shade at the government and automotive lobbyists. While automakers aren’t going to intentionally endanger the public, operating without a net could pose unnecessary risks.

Of course, safety advocates also say that self-driving technologies could eventually save 35,000 lives annually and reduce traffic accidents by a whopping 94 percent.

[Image: Coalition for Future Mobility]