Proposed changes to vehicle safety standards would eliminate elements such as windshield wipers designed for human drivers.
The Trump administration announced it will propose several changes to vehicle safety regulations in the spring of 2026 that will change requirements for self-driving cars, eliminating some features such as windshield wipers and gear shift sticks that are designed for human drivers. According to a Bloomberg article by Keith Laing, “The move is the latest effort to rewrite of [sic] decades-old Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards under President Donald Trump to pave the way for an era of robotaxis.”
As James Ochoa explains in Auto Blog, the proposed changes would amend or remove three rules in the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. “Specifically, the rulings are FMVSS No. 102, FMVSS No. 103, 104, and 108 which cover regulations regarding a variety of safety features that can be found and controlled by the driver in everyday passenger vehicles, including starter interlocks (No. 102), windshield defrosting and defogging systems (No. 103), windshield wipers and washers (No. 104) and ‘original and replacement lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment’ such as headlights and taillights (No. 108).”
Read the full story: Trump Administration Moves to Ease Rules for Self-Driving Cars
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