California has issued a draft for a new set of autonomous car regulations that stress safety, requiring that there be a licensed driver in the car in case of failure.
These regulations are aimed at helping nurture the quickly-growing autonomous vehicle industry, yet still enable both established car companies and new entrants into the auto industry like Google.
The rules will not go into effect just yet, but instead will be subject to a period of public comment, however, once they are enforced, they will set the stage for allowing companies to actually roll out self-driving cars.
California has long been at the forefront of technology, and the situation is no different when it comes to self-driving cars. California is also one of the few states to have regulations passed that enable carmakers to test their self-driving cars on public roads. Eleven companies currently have permits to test their cars on public roads, however, they still require a licensed driver to be in the car while the vehicle is driving.
The new rules also require third-party testing for carmakers, and regular reports back to the DMV will need to be completed for a period of three years. Data collected from that testing will be used for future regulations.
Manufacturers will also be required to disclose which data they are collecting in addition to safety data, which should help alleviate concerns that self-driving cars will be used to collect data by the likes of Google.
Many carmakers are hoping to have their technology ready by 2020, and regulations such as this one will help those companies get cars out to the public.
Via: Reuters
