The following statement is attributed to Gary Shapiro, president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association (CTA), regarding the Senate Commerce Committee's passage of the American Vision for Safer Transportation through Advancement of Revolutionary Technologies (AV START) Act, introduced by Chairman John Thune (R-SD) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI):

"We thank Chairman Thune and Sen. Peters for crafting a thoughtful bill that balances safety and innovation. Self-driving vehicles (SDVs) will save thousands of lives a year on our highways and deliver life-changing freedom and independence to seniors and people with disabilities - but we must have the right laws in place.

"The AV START Act is a great step to recognizing that federal and state governments have different roles in the deployment of SDVs - and the expanding patchwork of local rules across the country will only delay SDV testing and hinder America's global leadership. We are pleased with the overall bill but disappointed that commercial vehicles were excluded from the legislation to appease a labor union. We look forward to continuing to work with the committee to advance self-driving legislation that will usher in a new era of safety on America's roads."