Driverless cars could be making their way to DC

WASHINGTON - The DC council heard arguments on Thursday from tech advocates that want the District to allow autonomous vehicles to be driven without a human test person inside.

Currently, under D.C. law, companies that want to test autonomous vehicles, or cars that are driven by a computer, are currently required to have a human driver inside the vehicle in case something goes wrong. However, some technology groups want to start testing autonomous cars without a human test person inside.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that, on average, autonomous vehicles are involved in more crashes than traditional vehicles. With 9.1 crashes per million miles driven for autonomous cars compared to 4.1 crashes for conventional cars.

"This to me is a great example that I don’t necessarily want to be the first into this marketplace. I don’t mind having other cities go first but let’s learn what works and what doesn’t and then figure out what’s best for D.C.," said Council member Charles Allen.

Council member Allen says the Department of Transportation expects to issue rules on autonomous vehicles in the Fall of 2025, and he wants the district to get a jump start by establishing where and how autonomous vehicles can operate.