Now if California could just balance their budget, stop hurting small businesses with so much regulation, and stop trying to force onto people high speed rail which no one in their right mind wants and which the state cannot afford – they would be OK.
The primary draft presented by California’s Department of Motor Vehicles includes a clause which includes several safety regulations governing self-driving vehicles. For starters, the car must have a steering wheel and other controls which will allow the drivers to take over in case the automated system fails or the human just wants to control the car like what happened to Will Smith’s character in iRobot (the chances of you having a bunch or robots attack you is unlikely though). There are real chances that 2017 will see the first automated cars on the roads of California.
Tech Giant not too Impressed
This is not great news for Google, which is trying to introduce self-driving cars without steering wheels and pedals. According to Google spokespeople, not only are they gravely disappointed with the clauses and the draft, but believe that the regulation “will slow introduction of new technology with life-saving prowess”. Well Google, there are 49 other states!
Even with all the debating and disappointments, there are no car-makers or tech-innovators really ready to introduce their concepts to the road, for a romance with reality. Some folks like Google have stated that a model is close to working and will be on the streets “sooner than people expect”.
California Might have Invited Some Competition
Texas seems to know better than emulating the slow pace of Californian road law regulators. Texas is all set for an early deployment of self-driving cars from Google. The officials in Austin have shown their support for Google’s prototypes for company sponsored trails. California DMV wants to move beyond small-scale testing of prototypes on the public roads.
According to regulators, manufacturers need to gather more experience on automated driving prior to making this tech available to consumers. But for finalization of the rules, DMV has to extensively lobby for the noteworthy changes. This is quite a set-back, since they were supposed to be made official by 2015.
The only bright side to this controversy for the tech-companies is the lack of comprehensive federal rules addressing the technology. In California it is mandatory for the manufacturers to keep tab on the consumers who are capable of leasing the vehicles. Manufacturers require to present regular reports on driving and vehicle performance to the authorities. This is after a three year permit which is granted by California DMV based on manufacturer’s safety assurances.
Google Refutes Claims
Google, along with traditional automakers however has lobbied for manufacturer self-certification of safety. Eleven companies currently hold the permit to test their cars on CA roads. There have been reports of scattered accidents from across the state involving Google cars already although the spokesperson from the tech giant have claim that the fault rested with other drivers, in all cases.
Closing Thoughts
Once the permit is granted, drivers need to undergo manufacturer provided training courses, which also shifts the responsibility of any vehicle related accidents to the drivers. From the DMV drafts it is understandable that “safety of the public is of highest priority”. Although Johnny Luu, Google spokesman stated how “disappointed” the company was with the new safety precautions which might set the dates back by at least a couple of years.
Google, why not make a self-driving car for California and another one for everyone else?