NHTSA Chief: Agency reviewing safety rules for automated cars

Standards needed: While the delineation between federal and state regulation of autonomous driving technology remains unclear, the NHTSA inevitably will have a role in overseeing the safety of self-driving vehicles. Photo: Reuters

DETROIT: The head of the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said the agency is reviewing federal vehicle safety rules to determine if they could conflict with self-driving vehicle systems that Google Inc and others want to put on the road. 

The agency is looking at a list of rules that could affect the rollout of features such as Tesla Motors Inc's "autopilot" hands-free driving system or General Motors Co's proposed "super cruise" system, NHTSA administrator Mark Rosekind told reporters.