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DOT Moves to Scrap Brake Pedal Rule for Autonomous Vehicles
Rule Could Ease Path for Purpose-Built Robotaxis
Key Takeaways:
- The U.S. Department of Transportation on June 25 proposed removing brake pedal requirements for fully driverless vehicles through updates to federal safety standards.
- The change could accelerate deployment of purpose-built robotaxis from companies like Tesla, Waymo and Zoox by eliminating regulatory hurdles tied to manual controls.
- NHTSA said it will maintain braking performance standards and is developing broader rules for autonomous systems, with further regulatory updates expected.
The U.S. Department of Transportation is moving to scrap requirements for brake pedals in driverless vehicles, a step that could clear the way for companies such as Tesla Inc. and Waymo to put more robotaxis on American roads.
The DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has proposed updates to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards that would remove the mandate for manual brake pedals in vehicles designed to operate exclusively without a human driver, according to a notice made public on June 25. The change would not apply to other types of automobiles, which would still have to have brake pedals.
The new rule, part of an ongoing effort by the Trump administration to modernize standards for driverless cars, could ease the path for purpose-built autonomous vehicles including Tesla’s Cybercab, a two-seat electric car that lacks a steering wheel and foot pedals. The robotaxi market includes a number of big-name players, including Amazon.com Inc.’s Zoox and Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo, the biggest operator of paid robotaxi rides in the U.S.
Current regulations pose hurdles for companies that want to field autonomous vehicles designed without certain controls. Even so, it remains unclear whether regulators plan to adjust rules related to steering wheels or other equipment.
The requirements have in the past been a hurdle for auto manufacturers. They include General Motors Co., which ended work on its Origin AV in 2024 due in part to regulatory uncertainty around the vehicle’s lack of certain manual controls.
NEW: NHTSA is updating federal safety standards to drop the manual brake pedal mandate for vehicles designed to be driven exclusively by automated driving systems.
As fully autonomous vehicles (AVs) evolve, NHTSA is reimagining regulations for cars that will never be operated by… pic.twitter.com/UdCXfER0bP — nhtsagov (@NHTSAgov) June 25, 2026
Yet while the DOT can set or remove specific rules through NHTSA that could ease approval for driverless vehicles, wider adoption is still limited by technological factors, investment costs and the readiness of individual passengers.
Rethinking Equipment
NHTSA’s new proposal is part of a broader effort by the agency to remove what it says are unnecessary barriers hindering autonomous vehicles. Further changes are expected to follow.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, one of President Donald Trump’s biggest donors, has advocated for federal policy changes that would facilitate broad commercial deployment of self-driving vehicles, including calling for a federal framework for driverless cars. The Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association, which represents companies including Waymo and Zoox, has similarly urged lawmakers to enact a federal policy framework.
Last year, Musk lobbied lawmakers in Washington to help clear a path for autonomous vehicles, and weighed in on revisions to a bill that would have help set a basic regulatory framework.
Tesla launched its long-awaited robotaxi network last year in Austin with a limited number of Model Y SUVs. It has since expanded gradually, adding service in Dallas and Houston with a total fleet of fewer than 100 vehicles in the state. The company also operates a non-autonomous rideshare network in California’s San Francisco Bay Area.
Waymo operates a fleet of thousands of robotaxis with customer rides in 11 cities and plans to expand to 20 cities by the end of the year.
The proposed rule on brake pedals won’t affect other braking performance requirements such as strict stopping distance standards, NHTSA said in a statement. Existing standard requirements will also not change for automated driving system-equipped vehicles with manual driving controls.
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Historically, manufacturers have had to seek exemptions from NHTSA to deploy autonomous vehicles that run afoul of federal standards, many of which were enacted decades ago before the advent of automated driving systems. NHTSA has updated a number of those standards and says companies in the future may not need to seek exemptions once its modernization push is complete.
“While this update ensures AVs can physically stop when commanded, NHTSA is separately developing safety performance requirements for AVs in real-world driving scenarios,” the agency said in its statement. “NHTSA will continue to use its broad defect enforcement authority to investigate unsafe ADS behavior and oversee recalls.”
