WASHINGTON D.C. (WHTC) – St. Joseph Congressman Fred Upton who is head of the Energy and Commerce Committee, held a bipartisan hearing titled, “Disrupter Series: Self-Driving Cars”.
The Tuesday hearing in the nation’s capital focused on several issues. The impact self-driving cars will have on traffic and roadway safety, how to create a consistent and uniform regulatory framework, and how to best address cyber-security in self-driving cars.
Upton says ten years from now we’ll be looking at this moment and saying why did we have anything else.
“You look at Seniors that maybe are unable to drive because they can’t drive at night and their reaction time is not what it used to be. You look at traffic control and you look at safety. Of course Michigan has been the auto state forever. We are right on the cusp of getting a major test facility that will be the brain trust of all of the technology that’s coming.”
Upton says the facility would be an American Center for Mobility, most likely be located at Willow Run in Ypsilanti and with so many auto engineers in Michigan, it makes perfect sense to have this here.
Director of the Michigan Department of Transportation Kirk Steudle was one of the experts on hand for Tuesday’s hearing.
