Axios Live: Self-driving cars must be "as safe or safer" than other vehicles on the road, lawmaker says

WASHINGTON – Safety measures are the key to getting more self-driving vehicles on the road, speakers agreed at an Axios Live event last week.

Why it matters: Policymakers are weighing the benefits and risks of self-driving technology while considering what regulation should look like.

Axios' Nathan Bomey and Joann Muller spoke with Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio), Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.) and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety president Cathy Chase at the event, sponsored by Aurora.

The big picture: Safety is at the center of conversations about self-driving technology – with advocates proposing autonomous vehicles as a solution to reduce accidents, and opponents arguing that the vehicles make the roads more dangerous.

• "The No. 1 thing we always have to remember about it is it's safety first … and these vehicles need to be as safe or safer than anything else on the road today," Latta said.

What they're saying: "We all know that 94% of accidents that are caused out there are by human error, and a lot of it's because of people using their cellphones and everything else and distraction," Latta said.

• "And we have so many other possibilities we can do with self-drive, for people with disabilities, senior citizens," he said.

Stunning stat: About 40,000 people die in the U.S. from car accidents every year, and over 100 people die every day, Peters said.

• "To me, it's a moral imperative that we actually figure this out and bring the safety to the roads, but understanding it's not a clear path," Peters said. "The technology evolves. There's going to be accidents that are going to occur."

The other side: "It's hard for us to discern what's happening on public roadways, and the public really has a right to know, are they safe?" Chase said.

• "They are right now unwitting participants when they're not in a car. If they're not in a Waymo, you're still there. If you're riding your bicycle or going for a walk, you could potentially be at risk, and I think the public has a right to know," Chase said.

Content from the sponsor's remarks:

In a View From the Top conversation, Aurora co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson said a recent report from Steer Group expects self-driving technology to have a $70 billion impact on the freight industry by 2035.

• "When you look at the jobs in this sector, we're supporting about 17,000 jobs in just the self-driving technology space today, and that turns into something like $3.3 billion economic impact," Urmson said. "So it's a big industry already, and it's going to be driving great new jobs in the future."