While the Trump administration has signaled its support for autonomous vehicle technology in the past, it’s never been quite so clear. Last week, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao said that the federal government is “all in” on automated driving systems.

Speaking at CES 2020 this past week, Chao gave a keynote address. She used the technology expo as the platform to announce Ensuring American Leadership in Automated Vehicle Technologies: Automated Vehicles 4.0.

According to the DOT, AV 4.0 will seek to ensure that “the United States can continue to lead AV [Autonomous Vehicle] Technology research, development, and integration.” In order to do that, the government plans to provide unified guidance to the few dozen federal agencies that currently have a hand in regulating autonomous vehicles.

One other point of interest is that Chao says that the “oversight” of AV development will ensure the “strategic allocation of public resources.” This likely includes the Trump administration’s plans to support the self-driving industry with federal investment.

“The landscape for AV innovation is complex and evolving,” Chao told attendees according to Fleetowner. “But the goals are pretty simple… They need to improve safety, security and the quality of life for all Americans — that’s the barometer for success.”

The full text of AV 4.0 is expected to be published in the Federal Register soon where it will be open for comments from the public.

Source: fleetowner, DOT, ttnews