The state’s Department of Motor Vehicles on Wednesday issued a draft of potential regulations for putting regular people behind the wheel of autonomous vehicles.
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Among other safety-related requirements, the cars must have a steering wheel, and a licensed driver must be ready to take over if the machine fails.
Newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, John Krafcik, spearheads the autonomous vehicle project initiated by Google X. Despite the company staying mute regarding the creation of a stand-alone autonomous auto company, Krafcik did reveal that Google had the lead over its competitors in the said space.
That’s not all: the proposal requires autonomous cars to meet new safety and performance requirements, with testing and certification by a third-party auditor.
Those draft rules set out how the DMV wants to move beyond the current small-scale testing of prototypes on public roads. It’s not the first time that companies have shifted business away from California.
The proposed regulations were announced following months of study by California’s DMV after the state’s legislature stated that it required the DMV to develop regulations for testing and the deployment of autonomous vehicles. Drivers will also be responsible for any traffic violations. “Manufacturers will be required to obtain approval to collect this additional information”. As a result, the regulations are almost a year overdue. Boosters say the technology could prevent numerous more than 32,000 deaths on US roads each year. Many also rely on maps that detail everything from curb heights to the exact placement of lane stripes. “There certainly have to be provisions to protect the public about something that could be put out on the road”. There have been scattered collisions, almost all involving Google cars. Google, dismayed by the DMV, notes that 94 percent of collisions are caused by driver error. “We’re gravely disappointed that California is already writing a ceiling on the potential for fully self- driving cars to help all of us who live here”.
“The primary focus of the deployment regulations is the safety of autonomous vehicles and the safety of the public who will share the road with these vehicles”, DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a consumer group applauded the draft rules as appropriately cautious.
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The proposed regulations, which will be subject to extensive public input before approval, amount to a historic initial step that could someday allow everyday motorists to travel in autonomous vehicles throughout the Golden State. The proposed DMV regulations may affect plans for San Francisco.
