Report: Google Forced To Put Mirrors On Self-Driving Cars

The Daily Caller speaks with Marc Scribner on regulators improving transportation safety with safety performance goals rather than stifling red tape.

Self-driving autos don’t need passengers watching rear and side-view mirrors but federal bureaucrats told Google in 2016 that their new vehicle still must have the familiar safety features, according to a non-profit government watchdog.

Requiring mirrors on driverless cars is just one of multiple examples cited by a Competitive Enterprise Institute report made public Wednesday contending that excessive federal regulations are often a huge obstacle to improving transportation safety.

Transportation manufacturers have the technology to improve safety, but government red tape prevents improvements and innovation in many cases, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute report.

“Safety is a major concern when it comes to transporting passengers and freight around the country, but too often regulators make it difficult for industries to find new, innovative ways to meet their safety goals,” according to report author Marc Scribner, a CEI senior fellow.

“The best way to improve transportation safety is to replace government micromanaging with performance goals, which would hold industries more accountable and encourage new technologies and practices that improve safety,” Scribner said. 

Read the full article at The Daily Caller.