California’s DMV has proposed a number of rules that would restrict the use of self-driving cars on public roads and place a ban on “driverless” cars that have no humans on board.
The rules proposed by the Department of Motor Vehicles state that all autonomous vehicles need a steering wheel and pedals when operating on California’s public roads and, besides this, all cars need to have a licensed driver, with an “autonomous vehicle operator certificate”, who is capable of taking control if anything goes wrong.
“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. We want to get public input on these draft regulations before we initiate the formal regulatory rule making process“, said Jean Shiomoto, DMV Director.
Google was not happy with the proposal, with company spokesman Johnny Luu stating to Autonews: “Safety is our highest priority and primary motivator as we do this. 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.”
If the rules are finalized, then they will affect companies such as Ford, Audi, Google and others that received a permit to test driverless cars in California.
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