Trump Administration Moves To Ease Rules For Self-Driving Cars

The Trump administration is taking steps to make it easier for automakers to deploy-self driving cars by removing some requirements designed specifically for human drivers — like windshield wipers.

The move is the latest effort to rewrite of decades-old Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards under President Donald Trump to pave the way for an era of robotaxis. The deregulatory initiative, which was welcomed by auto industry trade groups, is a potential boon to Tesla Inc. and other companies seeking to promote driverless vehicles.

The US Department of Transportation said Thursday it’s planning to propose three new rules in the spring of 2026 “to modernize Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards for vehicles with automated driving systems.” These include relaxing mandates for vehicles without manual controls and that don’t use gear shift sticks, defrosting buttons or certain lighting equipment.

The agency said existing one-size-fits-all motor vehicle rules “were written decades ago and fail to account for automated vehicles.”