Report: Trump Administration Backs Away From V2V Mandate

The White House has decided not to pursue a rule requiring all new cars to exchange data with each other via vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology, according to The Associated Press.

The news comes from unnamed sources cited by the AP, including two officials in the auto industry and two others whose organizations have spoken with the Trump administration. With traffic deaths rising in the last few years, the decision raises fears that efforts to improve safety on the road could stall.

Under a proposal issued last December, all new vehicles would have to come equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle communications technology by 2023. With this tech, vehicles can send information about their location, direction, and speed to other cars. This can help vehicles identify crash risks and warn other drivers on the road. It can even thwart crashes that couldn’t be prevented by current camera or sensor technologies, thanks to radio signals that provide 360-degrees of coverage and the ability to “see” around corners and through other cars. According to the Department of Transportation, the technology can prevent or lessen the severity of up to 80 percent of crashes not involving alcohol or drugs.

This mandate has been a few years in the making. The government was preparing for the proposal way back in 2014. At the time the proposal was issued, regulators anticipated a final rule would be ready in 2019. The government would have phased in the regulations from 2021 before requiring full compliance by 2023.

Sources told the AP that the Trump administration was backing off the proposal because it doesn’t want to pressure the auto industry with higher costs. However, the plans aren’t completely off the table. Although the proposal has been dropped from the list of regulations under active consideration by the White House Office of Management and Budget, it’s still on the government’s long-term agenda.

Currently, the Cadillac CTS sedan comes equipped with V2V technology as standard equipment.

Source: AP

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