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Yesterday, Congressman Bob Latta (R-OH-5) joined the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee hearing on motor vehicle safety, to discuss his commitment to advancing autonomous vehicle (AV) legislation. Congressman Latta spoke on the importance of the United States maintaining its global leadership in automotive innovation by advancing policies that support the deployment of next-generation technologies. Watch Congressman Latta’s full remarks HERE.   

Even with vehicle safety standards improving over the years, traffic-related accidents have steadily been on the rise. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 39,345 people died in motor vehicle traffic accidents in 2024. In addition to improving safety on our roads, AVs have the potential to increase mobility for seniors and those who live with health challenges or disabilities. 

Below is an excerpt from Congressman Latta’s remarks highlighting the need for federal AV legislation to improve safety:   

“I think it's important that we look at the number of highway deaths that we see in traffic and what was caused out there. About 94 percent of all the accidents being caused out there is because of driver error. I ride every year with the Ohio Highway Patrol, and when the troopers are out on the road, they can point out quickly people that are not paying attention. We want to make sure that we get this legislation passed... 

“But one of the things I've said, it's so important when we look at this is it's always been safety first, safety last, safety always.” 

Below is an excerpt of Jeff Farrah, CEO of the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, a witness at Thursday’s hearing:   

“Congressman Latta, I want to first start by thanking you for all your efforts over the course of a very long time and acknowledge all the effort that you put into this issue. I don't think there's anyone in Congress who's thought more deeply about this (automated vehicles) and been more committed to this. I know you've worked very closely with Congresswoman Dingell as well. I know she stepped out of the room here. We wanted to acknowledge her work as well... 

 “And we’re very pleased to work with you again to try and advance this legislation. I think that you've really articulated why this is so important from a safety perspective, from an economic perspective, and from a strategic competitor perspective. So I think that there's a couple of things that we need to do here really to make sure that we are advancing public trust. And one of those is making sure that the federal government is speaking to vehicle design, construction, and performance issues, which only it can speak to uniformly. And that's something that's going to be married with a lot of the great efforts that have happened in a variety of US states, including in your state of Ohio...”  

Congressman Latta is currently the co-chair of the Congressional Autonomous Vehicle Caucus; a bipartisan caucus aimed at educating Congress on how autonomous vehicle technology can improve the safety and accessibility of the nation’s roads.