California takes serious steps towards self-driving cars
The California Department of Motor Vehicles has made changes to their state motor vehicle regulations. These changes have been developed over several years and should regulate the movement of unmanned vehicles with a tester inside. The first formal laws in this area appeared in California in 2014. Can you drive a self-driving car now?According to the new set of rules, autonomous vehicles are required to undergo rigorous testing in a controlled environment. Only then can they be granted permission for an unmanned test.  Moreover, for some prototypes, the presence of a driver inside the cabin is a mandatory requirement. Each step will be monitored by trusted organizations, who will then decide on the possibility of testing unmanned vehicles in real infrastructure conditions. What are the requirements for self-driving cars Self-driving cars must meet level 4 or 5 automation as defined by the SAE automotive engineering community. Level 4 implies the ability of the car to move due to the autopilot systems only on certain sections of the road. The presence of the driver in the cab is optional. Level 5 assumes the ability of the vehicle to move independently of GPS systems , adapt to changing road conditions using on-board sensors and have a machine learning system. In addition, such cars should be equipped with protection against potential intrusions from intruders. Robotic taxis must correspond to the 5th level of automation. The rules regarding the timeframes during which testing will take place and the rules regarding accompanying drivers, whose task is to control the drone operation directly from the passenger compartment and make decisions in case of an emergency situation, have also been tightened. Now they are required to have a clean driver's reputation over the past ten years, the absence of guilt in an accident that resulted in injury or death of road users. They also need at least three years of driving experience. To become an accompanying drone driver, you need to complete a special training program and obtain a certificate from a licensed organization. In total, the new California DMV rules are 31 pages long with detailed explanations for each clause. The Topic of Article: California takes serious steps towards self-driving cars. |
