Work in progress ...
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-selfdriving-idUSKBN18X2W4
The feds are regulating steering wheels and gas pedals under the authority granted them through the interstate commerce clause. Right. Sounds like a legitimate use of authority to me. Not!
Anything you can do to get the feds back into the Constitution, I'll support. Coming up with federal standards and what not to govern steering wheels, magically reaching to commerce, you guys might as well try to regulate horse and buggy carriages between states.
Let the manufacturers and innovators figure it out. If they kill someone, that's on them.
Honestly, I doubt the feds can keep up with the pace of software which is what this is about - the intersection of software bugs in the arena of physical space. By asserting authority in this space, it will eventually mean asserting authority over software, in my estimation. There is also another long term liberty risk - one day people driving their own car will be viewed as some sort of safety issue and the feds may try to prevent driving your own car. The key is not to grant that authority in the first place.
Just as we would with a hammer, food, lawn mower, exploding Ford gas tank, or other situation - let a jury decide if the manufacturers were fraudulent or negligent and otherwise, just stay out of the way. Otherwise, such standards set become the target, which ultimately puts us all at risk as manufacturers stagnate - resting from the risk of law suit.