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California Opens Driverless Car Competition With Testing Regulations

Posted by samzenpus on from the johnny-cab dept.

smaxp (2951795) writes "California just released rules for testing autonomous vehicles on California's roads and highways. Californians will soon be seeing more autonomous vehicles than just those built by the Google X labs. These vehicles offer great promise, such as freeing the driver's attention for productivity or leisure, better safety and less congestion. It will be a while, though, before we see these vehicles on the road. From the article: 'Getting started requires the RMV’s approval of testing under controlled circumstances prior to testing on public roads. The manufactures must insure the vehicles with a $5 million surety bond. Autonomous vehicle manufacturers need a permit and test drivers need a special license. The RMV will receive applications beginning on July 1, 2014, and the permits that are granted will be announced beginning on September 1, 2014.'"

2 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. I propose a test ... by gstoddart · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I call it the aggressive, psychotic driver who makes random, unsafe lane changes, fails to signal, and swoops across several lanes of traffic while doing well over the speed limit.

    Lemme see your driverless car handle that, then we'll see.

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:I propose a test ... by Narcocide · · Score: 5, Insightful

      That isn't any sort of a problem for LIDAR at sufficient resolution. It remains to be seen whether it can sufficiently improve traffic flow and accident incidence/mortality rates, but personally I'm more worried about asshats who will purposefully try cloak their cars so that the automated sensors can't even see them at all, just in some misguided attempt to try to prove self-driving cars as unsafe to protect "muh freedomz!"

      Don't get me wrong, I'm personally not interested in one of these self-driving contraptions, but its pretty apparent during any rush hour(s) that at least 90% of the drivers on the road couldn't beat a self-driving car's computer for accuracy to save their own lives on a good day.