Electronic Industry (CTA) Cheers US Government Support For Autonomous Vehicles

SEE ALSO: The Silicon Valley Crowd Is On Their Way To Take Over Your Industry By Appliance-izing Cars, .

Editor's Note: DUH! And why would't the electronics industry not support driverless cars when their adoption will result in more importance, profit and control for their members?? Don't get me wrong I fully support digitally enhanced safety devices and systems that will save lives and prevent terrible accidents. But it seems to me that the recent ubiquitous over the top support for driverless cars is going way to far and is overkill (pardon the pun) and unnecessary to save lives...let's make sure that ALL new cars come equipped with the latest and greatest digital safety devices, ALL cars safety for everyone not just the luxury car owner...to paraphrase, poorer drivers lives matter too So by all means support digitized safety, but going driverless could be setting us up for a central control and the elimination of American's freedom of mobility.

ARLINGTON, VA -- Janaury 15, 2016: The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM, formerly the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)®, regarding Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx’s remarks on driverless cars at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit:

“We appreciate the government’s efforts to accelerate the introduction of driverless cars to our roads and Secretary Foxx’s recognition of the major technological advancements by the tech and auto industries to improve driver safety. In particular, we applaud the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) commitment to work with industry to develop a consistent national policy and smooth the road ahead for autonomous vehicles.

“Driverless cars will soon evolve from science fiction to reality, just as driver assistance systems did a few years ago. Self-driving technologies will transform the future of our mobility by removing human error to improve road safety, decrease the number of accidents and provide greater flexibility to consumers.

“While the benefits are immense, we must still address a number of policy and technology issues to ensure the success and mainstream adoption of autonomous vehicles. We need to establish standards for highway signs and lights; devise new approaches to regulating spectrum, liability, insurance and safety; and consider revised highway rules, parking structures and car-ownership paradigms.

“CTA is encouraged by the federal government’s interest in driverless cars. Consistent collaboration between government and industry – not top-down regulation that could stifle innovation and technology development – will best answer these questions and address these challenges.”