WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - The US House of Representatives unanimously approved a proposal that will speed up the deployment of self-driving cars.

It will let automakers get exemptions to deploy autonomous vehicles without meeting existing auto safety standards.

They will still have to submit safety assessment reports, but they will not be required to get pre-market approval of advanced technologies.

Automakers and technology companies, such as General Motors and Waymo, hope to begin deploying self-driving vehicles around 2020. GM called the House bill a sign of "good progress".

Autotrader senior analyst Michelle Krebs said the new regulation is a very good news for them.

"It allows them to get more vehicles out on the road in the real world and do testing and research, so that these cars can truly be safer as they have been promised to be," she said.

The bill got a lot of praise from car and tech companies and advocates for the blind. However, the Consumer Watchdog group said it did not do enough to ensure self-driving cars would be safe.

There is a chance the bill will be changed.

It will go up for a debate in the Senate.