The U.S. Is Considering Removing Steering Wheels From Cars. Tesla Is the Reason Why.

Tesla (TSLA) is about to become one of the biggest beneficiaries of a shift in U.S. regulations. The country’s auto safety regulator, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), said it would “absolutely” consider dropping the requirement for fully autonomous vehicles to have steering wheels. Not long ago, NHTSA also decided to scrap manual brake pedals from such vehicles.

Both changes are part of a broader push by the Trump administration to modernize driverless car rules. Tesla is building Robotaxis and has designed its Cybercab without a steering wheel or pedals. So, a rule change like this could remove a real barrier for the company. The regulator’s reasoning is simple: If a car is never meant to be driven by a human, a steering wheel serves little purpose.