Fully autonomous: Ambitious feds look to revise self-driving car for public
Technology
Fully autonomous: Ambitious feds look to revise self-driving car for public
Federal transportation officials are rethinking their position on self-driving cars with an eye toward getting the emerging technology into the public’s hands, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Just two years ago, the agency struck a cautious tone. Its official policy statement, published in May 2013, holds that cars should be limited to testing and not “authorized for use by members of the public for general driving purposes.” Google has advocated spreading self-driving cars into the public, once the tech titan concludes that the technology is safe. 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.
Breathtaking progress has been made.
U.S. Department of Transportation spokeswoman Suzanne Emmerling
For a few years, several automakers have been running prototypes equipped with a suite of sensors and cameras around public streets and highways. Those cars were required to have someone behind the wheel, ready to take over. Some have gotten into collisions, though companies say that in each case, a person in another car caused the accident.
