In Washington, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy officially presented the "Freedom Cars" initiative as part of the upcoming federal transportation bill, aiming primarily to ban any federal or local mandate requiring the installation of ADAS systems and wireless connectivity on board vehicles. The Trump administration intends to eliminate the technological constraints and safety regulations introduced in 2021 under the Biden administration, in a direct effort to lower vehicle list prices and restore American drivers' full freedom to purchase and drive mechanically traditional, completely disconnected automobiles.

According to arguments presented by the Department of Transportation, automatic lane-keeping or emergency braking systems have not demonstrated a significant reduction in road fatalities, ending up instead as an additional source of driver distraction and raising production costs for manufacturers. Furthermore, the "Freedom Car" concept evokes a well-known program launched in 2002 by the Bush administration, which nevertheless pursued the opposite goal of accelerating industrial innovation toward hydrogen powertrains. Today, several automotive industry observers highlight that Duffy's deregulation risks remaining partial: without an explicit legislative ban targeting the private strategies of carmakers and insurance giants, connected platforms will continue to be integrated into mass-market vehicles.

The bill will now move to Congress for a decisive vote before the September 30, 2026 deadline. If passed into law, the United States will mark a sharp departure from European homologation standards, reopening the international debate on the delicate balance between road safety, driver privacy, and the economic sustainability of mobility.