(Bloomberg) — Existing U.S. laws pose few barriers toadoption of autonomous vehicle technology so long as cars andtrucks stick with existing designs allowing humans to take control,the agency overseeing traffic safety said Friday.

It’s only when manufacturers push the envelope by developingvehicles without such things as traditional steering wheels andbrake pedals that regulations may block new autonomous technology,according to a report released by the National Highway TrafficSafety Administration.

NHTSA issued the report in a briefing on its efforts to speedthe adoption of driverless cars and other technology that assistshuman operators. It was produced by the John A. Volpe NationalTransportation Systems Center, which does research for theTransportation Department.

“There are certain designs for which there are relatively fewcurrent regulatory obstacles,” Gordon Trowbridge, a spokesman forNHTSA, said at the briefing. “That means that we need operationalguidance, model state policy, out there to help guide the operationand deployment of vehicles that may be relatively close to theroad.”

State laws

The Volpe study looked at existing federal motor vehiclesafety standards and whether those laws will impede theintroduction of self-driving technologies. It didn’t examine statelaws, which govern driver qualifications, insurance requirements,and other issues.

In an update to U.S. efforts to promote autonomous vehicletechnology, Trowbridge said NHTSA was planning pilot programsacross the country to test vehicles, working with states ondeveloping new model laws, and evaluating federal regulations forwhat changes may be required.

The agency is also hosting two forums in April to gather publicinput on the issue, one in Washington and another at anundetermined location in California, he said.

‘A revolution’

“We are witnessing a revolution in auto technology that has thepotential to save thousands of lives,” Transportation SecretaryAnthony Foxx said in a press release Friday. “In order to achievethat potential, we need to establish guidelines for manufacturersthat clearly outline how we expect automated vehicles to function— not only safely, but more safely — on our roads.”

President Barack Obama wants to spend $3.9 billion on autonomousvehicle technology over the next 10 years, according to hisadministration’s proposed 2017 budget.

Adding more automated safety features to cars is one strategy toreduce roadway deaths, Mark Rosekind, NHTSA’s administrator, saidThursday at a safety forum. The technology can help correct forhuman error, which the agency estimates is a factor in 94% of fatalcar crashes, Rosekind said.

Traditional manufacturers and technology upstarts including arerushing to develop more autonomous cars.

Snowy conditions

Daimler AG this year unveiled a new flagship Mercedes-BenzE-Class that can steer itself in auto-pilot mode, brake inemergencies, and evade obstructions. Ford Motor Co. has announcedplans to test autonomous vehicles for better reaction to snowyconditions, one of the major technical hurdles.

Tesla Motors Inc.’s chief executive officer, billionaire ElonMusk, says it’s technically feasible that its electric cars will becapable of driving autonomously across the U.S. within two to threeyears. Google Inc. operates perhaps the best-known fleet ofself-driving cars, and Apple Inc. is presumed to be working on itsown models.

In February 2014 NHTSA also promised to move forward withregulations that will require cars to be able to communicate witheach other to avoid crashes. So-called vehicle-to-vehiclecommunications may in the future save lives on the scale of earliersafety innovations like seat belts and air bags, the agencysaid.

Related: Autonomous vehicles could shrink U.S. personal autoinsurance sector by 60%

Have you given us a Like on Facebook?

Copyright 2018 Bloomberg. All rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten,or redistributed.