Autonomous cars have been testing in California for quite a while now. Google even showed off its self-driving Toyota Prius taking a blind man to Taco Bell in 2012. Perhaps it's not surprising, then, that the California Department of Motor Vehicles has decided it's about time to draft a set of rules governing autonomous cars on public roads.
First off, there won't be any sleeping or reading the newspaper in the vehicles. The rules stipulate that the operator must be in the driver's seat when the vehicle is on public roads and must be able to take physical control of the vehicle at any time. The DMV even wants testers to keep a log of when and why the autonomous function is shut off during testing.
You also won't be able to just hop into one of Google's self-driving models for a drive either (as if they would let you). Each autonomous car and driver must be registered with the state. The pilots must be certified as understanding the technology and go through a defensive driver training course. The manufacture also has to take out $5 million in insurance in case of injury, death or property damage caused by the vehicle.
If they meet all of the stipulations, manufactures can pay $150 to register 10 vehicles and 20 drivers with a one-year, renewable permit. According to Engadget, the new rules are meant to put tighter restrictions on self-driving cars and make sure they are tested safely in public. It does seem like a bad idea to have robot cars prowling the streets with no oversight, right? Scroll down to read the full list of regulations for testing autonomously on California's roads.
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