It might seem like something out of a science fiction story, but after travelling to the Google headquarters in a self-driving Toyota Prius, Jerry Brown signed the bill to establish the performance and safety regulations that will govern the testing and operation of autonomous vehicles on the state’s highways and roads.
Brown was vocal in his support of the self-driving car. He predicted that it will become tomorrow’s reality. He also acknowledged the fact that motorists might find the idea somewhat unnerving at first. However, he was confident that drivers would quickly get used to the idea of an autonomous vehicle, even if it made them a little skittish to begin with.
Internet giant Google has been lobbying for these new regulations, as it has been busy developing the autonomous car technology. The company now has a dozen of these vehicles and between them; the fleet has clocked up over 300,000 miles and there have been no accidents so far.
The idea behind autonomous cars is to make roads safer and more accessible. Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google is confident that self-driving cars could be safer than their human-driven counterparts. Reducing congestion, a more pleasant commute and providing transport to those who are unable to drive themselves are some of the potential benefits. In fact, elderly, disabled and even intoxicated individuals could be able to use self-driving vehicles in the future.
The first autonomous vehicles could be commercially available within ten years if Brin’s predictions are correct. Rather than producing its own self-driving cars, Google plans to partner with vehicle manufacturers to bring this technology to fruition.
Not everyone is happy to give the green light to autonomous vehicles at this stage. The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers has reservations about potential liability issues, and is concerned that California could be jumping the gun when it comes to self-driving cars. There would need to be some sort of legislation in place to prevent automaker’s cars from being converted into self-driving vehicles without their knowledge or consent.
Although autonomous vehicles operate independently using technology such as sensors and computers, this can be manually overridden by the driver at any time. In an age of smartphones, drivers have more distractions to contend with, and those in favour of automated vehicles are adamant that they could significantly reduce traffic fatalities and collisions.
The bill requires California’s Department of Motor Vehicles to have draft regulations in place by January 1st 2015. Although these regulations would permit vehicles to operate autonomously, a driver would still require a license in order to operate a self-driving vehicle at this stage.
Nevada approved regulations concerning the testing of self-driving cars on the state’s highways and roads in February 2012. Silicon Valley and Stanford University have been at the cutting edge of the autonomous vehicle industry for years, and the new legislation aims to put California back into pole position.
Ford Motor Co, AG, BMW and Audi AG have also been developing autonomous vehicle technology for many years. Autonomous functions such as adaptive cruise control and self-parking are already in use in certain vehicles. So, the concept of a self-driving car is not completely foreign to motorists.
In fact, many drivers are actually looking forward to the day when their cars can safely drive themselves. Having your hands free to text, or eat lunch would be a bonus. It could also make highways, roads and streets a safer place. If people get sidetracked it won’t matter, because the computer will be able to take over. In short, it could make everyone’s life a little easier.