Federal government must act

It is painfully obvious that we -- and the U.S. government -- should not continue to allow car companies to use our streets and highways as if they are a private proving grounds intended solely for their use.

The use of public highways for unproven technology is foolhardy and reckless.

With all the automotive proving grounds that exist in the U.S. it simply does not make sense to continue to allow autonomous vehicles to be tested on public roads.

But what's even more important is that the federal government assure that these vehicles adhere to federal safety standards that have been around forever.

For some reason, the government and the manufacturers seem to be in cahoots to exempt autonomous vehicles from the same safety standards that exist for every other vehicle on the road today. Indeed, legislation before Congress would allow manufacturers to operate tens of thousands of cars with exemptions from many existing safety standards.

Lawmakers must understand that before any of these vehicles can be licensed for production and sale, they need to fall under existing standards. Anything less would be a grave mistake. Those safety standards have been in place for decades and for good reason. Over those years, they have saved countless lives and prevented many thousands of injuries.

Autonomous vehicles may provide the opportunity to save even more lives and prevent more injuries. But they must also adhere to the same strict standards that exist today.

It is bad enough that automakers are testing these vehicles on public roads. To even think about manufacturing these vehicles for the public without meeting today's standards is simply irresponsible. It is time for Congress to act.