Norton to Ride in Driverless Car as Ranking Member of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ranking Member of the Highways and Transit Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, will participate in a demonstration ride in Carnegie Mellon University's autonomous vehicle adjacent to the U.S. Capitol at Maryland Avenue SW, between the U.S. Botanic Garden and the U.S. Capitol Reflecting Pool, today at 1:30 p.m. The demonstration ride will follow a route through the Washington, DC metropolitan area. Norton, who drives a hybrid Ford C-Max and has already test-driven an electric car, but also a driverless car after the Highways and Transit subcommittee held a hearing on driverless vehicles earlier this Congress.

"I was ready at least to move on to an electric car until I discovered the several hours it takes to replenish it," said Norton. "Nevertheless, driverless cars have a future as soon as they can be measured by the same safety standards we apply to traditional vehicles. I very much appreciate that Chairman Shuster has arranged to share this experience with other Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. I hope it encourages our work that is reaching emergency status on finding a fix for the upcoming highway trust fund cliff. I know that full Committee Chairman Shuster and Subcommittee Chairman Petri are trying. They need help from the majority leadership."

Published: June 24, 2014