http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/08/opinion/safety-of-driverless-cars.html 2016-10-07 22:47:22 Safety of Driverless Cars The National Institutes of Health writes that “there is clearly a need to better communicate with the public” about the cars’ “lifesaving potential.” === To the Editor: “ There is clearly a need to better communicate with the public. You also rightly draw attention to the threats that extremes of regulation present. Overregulation may discourage investment in driverless cars. But a lack of directives at the federal level could lead to a counterproductive patchwork of state regulations. Policy makers must carry out a clear regulatory policy that encourages innovation while protecting public safety. A failure to do so will deny us the benefits that driverless cars have to offer. JEREMY BROWN Washington The writer, an emergency physician, is director of the Office of Emergency Care Research at the National Institutes of Health and a member of the Commission on Autonomous Vehicle Testing and Safety.