By Brandi Miller, staff reporter.
Numerous movies have depicted the future as little effort as possible. We came one step closer in 2016 with self-driving cars. Google and Tesla have created self-driving cars. According to the science, tech and entertainment website, The Verge, on Sept. 18, the federal government released its first rulebook governing the manufacture and sale of self-driving cars.
“We’re envisioning a future where you can take your hands off the wheel and the wheel out of the car, and where your commute becomes productive and restful, rather than frustrating and exhausting,” says Jeff Zients, director of the White House’s National Economic Council.
Tesla is nearly autonomous, meaning there still is a person driving it with the help of autopilots radar. Google, on the other hand, doesn’t need a driver. The google car doesn’t even come with a steering wheel or foot pedals, says The Verge.
The law states that companies building and testing the self-driving car have to share their data with federal regulators. Businesses who are participating in the making of driverless cars have to go through a 15 point safety assessment to ensure that the car will be safe on the road and for the passengers inside the vehicle says The Verge.
According to The Verge, all self-driving cars needs approval from the federal government before they are marketed. The government wants to make sure the cars are safe for anyone that decides to let a computer take them from point A to point B.
To avoid each state having separate laws or not allowing self-driving cars there has been set rules made. Each state will have the same regulations for self-driving cars, says The Verge.
In the past, all rules for vehicle have revolved around a person driving. Now, self-driving cars have a computer taking all the control, making it necessary for a new rulebook to be issued. This may be a downfall for cops since they can’t pull over a human driver.
The rulebook for self-driving cars will be updated each year says The Verge. The federal government is trying to take control of any harmful situations the driverless car may have.
According to the website, Driverless Car Market Watch, several events from the last months provide a strong signal that autonomous vehicle technology has led the auto industry to a pivotal point: The first automakers are adapting their business model for fully self-driving cars and are providing explicit time frames!
