NTSB also says NHTSA does not have any method to verify whether carmakers have adopted system safeguards. For example, there are no federal regulations requiring drivers to touch the steering wheel within a specific time frame.
“NHTSA is drafting rules on autonomous vehicles, but it has been slow to regulate semi-autonomous vehicles,” said Bryant Walker Smith, a law professor at the University of South Carolina. “There is a growing awareness that they deserve more scrutiny priority and regulatory action.”
New York has a law requiring drivers to keep at least one hand on the wheel at all times but no other states have legislation that could prevent the use of semi-autonomous cars.