Under California’s proposed rules, autonomous vehicles would be required to have a steering wheel and pedals in order to be licensed to drive on the state’s roads. Self-driving cars would also need a human behind the wheel with an “autonomous vehicle operator certificate” in case of a mechanical malfunction.
If enacted, the rules would kill the hopes of a commercially available driverless car in the state of California. That’s means there won’t be any robotic taxis ferrying people around the Golden State anytime soon.
“Given the potential risks associated with deployment of such a new technology, [the] DMV believes that manufacturers need to obtain more experience in testing driverless vehicles on public roads prior to making this technology available to the general public,” the California DMV said, according to Automotive News.
The terms of the proposal also outline safety standards that would require certification from a third-party auditor. Moreover, any manufacturers operating an autonomous vehicle in the state would be required to submit safety and usage reports on a regular basis.
Several automakers currently hold a license to test autonomous vehicles, including Honda, Mercedes-Benz and, most recently, Ford.
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