[Nfbc-info] Driverless Car Regulations Update

[Tim Elder]

Our affiliate ought to keep an eye on the below Driverless Car regulations
and ensure we are aligning with Google's approach.  There should not be a
requirement that a licensed driver be behind the wheel.  Now is the time to
pay attention to this issue.



. . .
California's Department of Motor Vehicles in particular has asked for
federal guidance as it struggles with how to move the cars safely from
small-scale road tests to broader adoption. In a written statement Monday,
U.S. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Suzanne Emmerling said that
with rapid development of the technology, federal policy is being updated.
"Breathtaking progress has been made," Emmerling wrote. She said
Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx ordered his department's National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration to update its 2013 policy "to reflect
today's technology and his sense of urgency to bring innovation to our roads
that will make them safer. It's unclear what the new policy will be, but the
tone of the statement signaled that Foxx is interested in endorsing the
technology. Language that the agency is revisiting specifies that in states
where the public can get access to the cars, a licensed driver should be
behind the wheel. Google has argued that once cars can drive as safely as
humans, it would be better to remove the steering wheel and pedals so that
people don't mess up the ride. A Google spokesman had no comment on word of
the federal review. The California State Transportation Agency has
interpreted the 2013 federal guidance as urging caution. The federal update
"reaffirms that the topic is evolving and one worthy of continued discussion
and public input," spokeswoman Melissa Figueroa said. She said the
Department of Motor Vehicles is working to publish draft regulations by
year's end.