Washington (March 19, 2018) – With reports that a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona was killed overnight by an autonomous vehicle operated by Uber, Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) released the following statement. Senator Markey is a member of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee and has been working with Senate and Committee leadership to strengthen provisions related to automotive defects, cyberattacks, and consumer privacy in the AV Start Act, Senate legislation that is aimed at supporting the development of highly automated vehicle safety technologies.

“This tragic accident underscores why we need to be exceptionally cautious when testing and deploying autonomous vehicle technologies on public roads,” said Senator Markey.  “If these technologies are to reap their purported safety, efficiency, and environmental benefits, we must have robust safety, cybersecurity, and privacy rules in place before these vehicles are traveling our roadways to prevent such tragedies from occurring. I’m committed to work with my Senate Colleagues on developing a comprehensive autonomous vehicle legislative package that ensures these important protections are included.”

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