NEW YORK, NEW YORK — Today, Safe Autonomous Vehicles Everywhere in the United States (SAVE-US) launched a national effort to make sure autonomous vehicles deliver on their promise of saving lives.
The mission is simple: roads should become safer, not riskier, as autonomous vehicles (AVs) roll out and expand.
Autonomous vehicles could help reduce the more than 40 thousand annual motor vehicle fatalities in the U.S., but only if deployed responsibly. Right now, AV companies are allowed to deceptively market driver-assistance systems as “self-driving,” test their self-driving cars on the road with almost no oversight, and dodge accountability when crashes occur.
“SAVE-US exists to put safety and accountability at the center of this industry. This is about ensuring innovation serves people, not just companies,” said Shua Sanchez, National Campaign Director of SAVE-US. “Autonomous vehicles could prevent thousands of deaths every year and make driving more accessible for millions of people. But today, too many cars are being sold with barely regulated driver-assistance systems that are implicated in thousands of crashes and dozens of deaths. And more states are opening their doors to self-driving cars without strong safety regulations.”
Time and again, government has let technology race ahead and only stepped in once harm was obvious. That wait-and-see model costs lives and erodes trust. With autonomous vehicles, we have a rare chance to get it right before mass deployment.
“We have a narrow window to act,” added Sanchez. “This is the moment for policymakers to see around the corner, set the rules of the road, and make sure AVs delivers on its promise. If we miss it, unsafe driver-assistance systems will flood the streets, trust will collapse, and it will be much harder to ensure safety later.”
SAVE-US exists to seize this moment: to establish simple, commonsense standards that harness innovation for the common good, keep families safe, and foster public trust in the technologies shaping our future.
SAVE-US GOALS
As part of its launch, SAVE-US is releasing a set of policy recommendations for state leaders, focused on four commonsense regulatory goals:
1. Push Existing and Effective AV Regulations Nationwide
California has shown that it’s possible to let innovation flourish while keeping unsafe AV deployments off the road. SAVE-US supports expanding that model nationwide: requiring permits for testing, mandating clear reporting of all crashes, and restricting vehicles to defined operational zones until they’ve proven safe. Just as airlines must prove their planes are airworthy before passengers board, AVs should meet clear standards before they carry families down Main Street.
2. Taxi and Sensor Safety Rules
Not all autonomous vehicles are created equal. Some AV companies rely on camera-only technology, even though decades of transportation safety policy show that redundancy isn’t optional—it’s what keeps people alive. Radar and lidar (laser-based object sensing) aren’t backups; they’re essential. They’re the systems that detect a child darting into the street or a cyclist veering into a lane and give the car enough time to avoid disaster. SAVE-US supports laws that require AVs—especially when used as taxis or shuttles—to be equipped with multiple sensor systems, not just cameras. Anything less is cutting corners on safety.
3. Manufacturer Liability and Crash Reporting
Today, when an autonomous system is involved in a crash, responsibility is almost always put on the human driver, even when the autonomous system malfunctions. SAVE-US believes liability must rest with the manufacturer whose software was actually in control. Alongside this, every AV crash—from minor fender-benders to fatal collisions—should be reported to regulators and made public. Families deserve transparency, and accountability is the only way companies will put safety ahead of speed.
4. Close the “Level 2+” Loophole
Some companies blur the line between advanced driver-assistance and full autonomy, branding their products with terms like “self-driving” even when constant human oversight is required. This creates confusion, over-trust in technology, and tragic accidents. SAVE-US calls for ending deceptive marketing practices and for setting clear legal standards for what can be advertised as “self-driving.” A system that still needs a human hand on the wheel is not “self-driving,” and the law should say so plainly.
SAVE-US is already working with leaders in states that will be pivotal in shaping how AVs will be tested, deployed, and held accountable across the country.
“We don’t need to wait on Washington,” Sanchez added. “States regulate cars and licenses every day. They can do the same for autonomous vehicles, and by doing so, make sure this technology develops responsibly.”
NEW POLL: Americans Overwhelmingly Support Commonsense AV Rules
A new national poll commissioned by SAVE-US underscores how strongly the public wants guardrails in place before autonomous vehicles scale up. The findings show broad, bipartisan support for the very reforms SAVE-US is championing:
- 88% want AV companies to be required to report all crashes.
- 77% back mandatory fines when AV technology malfunctions.
- 70% say manufacturers—not drivers—should be liable when their systems cause crashes.
- 68% support requiring AVs to use both cameras and lidar, not cameras alone.
- 61% of voters say autonomous vehicles are not safe today.
Support for each of SAVE-US’s core campaign goals ranges from +54 to +78 net approval — a rare level of consensus across party lines.
“The public is overwhelmingly on our side, and it’s time to make sure their voices are heard in policymaking,” said Shua Sanchez, National Campaign Director of SAVE-US. “Americans reject the idea of letting companies put unsafe systems on the road without rules. These poll results make clear: people want safety standards, accountability, and transparency—today.”
About SAVE-US
Safe Autonomous Vehicles Everywhere in the United States (SAVE-US) is a road-safety organization led by scientists, engineers, and policy experts committed to ensuring AVs improve safety rather than undermine it.
- Shua Sanchez, National Campaign Director, holds a PhD in physics from the University of Washington and has worked at MIT on energy-efficient technologies.
- Sam Haass, Executive Director, has over a decade of experience running national issue campaigns and advising policymakers.
- Bob Somers, Technical Advisor, is a former autonomous vehicle engineer at Zoox with deep experience in AV safety systems.
Together, the SAVE-US team brings technical expertise, policy know-how, and a focus on public safety to the debate over autonomous vehicles.
Learn more at safeavs.com
