H.R. 7390 — SELF DRIVE Act of 2026

This section designates the short title of the Act as the “Safely Ensuring Lives Future Deployment and Research In Vehicle Evolution Act of 2026” or the “SELF DRIVE Act of 2026” and includes the table of contents.

This section states the purpose of the Act as ensuring continued U.S. leadership in the global automotive and autonomous driving sector, improving road safety, mobility, and accessibility, and creating American jobs by establishing rules and regulations on the design, construction, and performance of ADS-equipped vehicles (i.e., vehicles equipped with automated driving systems) and encouraging their testing and deployment.

This section establishes motor vehicle safety standards for automated driving systems (ADS) by adding a new section 30130 to subchapter II of chapter 301 of title 49, United States Code. (Subchapter II authorizes the Secretary of Transportation, acting through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, to prescribe federal motor vehicle safety standards.) The new section defines key terms—including ADS-dedicated vehicle (vehicle designed exclusively for Level 4 or 5 driverless operation), ADS-equipped vehicle, automated driving system (ADS; Level 3-5 hardware/software performing the dynamic driving task, per SAE International J3016 April 2021 edition), dynamic driving task (DDT; real-time operational/tactical functions such as steering, acceleration, and object response), DDT fallback, DDT performance-relevant system failure, fallback-ready user, minimal risk condition (MRC; safe stopped state), operational design domain (ODD), and vulnerable road user (e.g., pedestrian, bicyclist, motorcyclist)—and directs the Secretary to use SAE J3016 definitions, subject to Federal Register review of SAE updates for clarity (within 180 days) and decisions on adoption (within 120 days thereafter). It requires a safety case for ADS and prohibits a manufacturer from manufacturing for sale, selling, or offering for sale an ADS-equipped vehicle without one. (Thus, this imposes new pre-market safety documentation obligations on ADS vehicle manufacturers, with definitions tied to evolving SAE standards.)

This section revises an existing exemption from motor vehicle safety standard compliance for vehicles and equipment used in manufacturer testing or evaluation (provided they are not sold or leased afterward) to also cover manufacturers of automated driving systems (ADS), ADS-equipped vehicles, or related components (as defined in 49 U.S.C. 30102). The section further authorizes the Secretary of Transportation to permit such manufacturers to conduct limited commercial operations with ADS-equipped vehicles during testing—including transporting passengers or freight—subject to Secretary-determined limits (e.g., on vehicle numbers, mileage, revenue, or duration, on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction basis) and oversight requirements to prevent de facto deployment of non-compliant vehicles.

This section establishes an exception to the motor vehicle compliance certification requirement, permitting manufacturers to intentionally and temporarily disable or alter a device or design element related to human driver performance of the dynamic driving task (i.e., steering, accelerating, braking, and monitoring the environment) for safety reasons while an automated driving system is engaged and capable of performing the entire dynamic driving task. Manufacturers claiming the exception must comply with motor vehicle defect and noncompliance reporting requirements.

This section directs the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with heads of relevant agencies (as defined in 5 U.S.C. 551), to review the implementation of the final rule _Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain: Connected Vehicles_ (90 Fed. Reg. 5360) not later than one year after enactment of this Act. The section further requires the Secretary to brief the House Committees on Energy and Commerce and Foreign Affairs and the Senate Committees on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and Foreign Relations on the review not later than 60 days after its completion.